Finding Fred
by Willowby
Summary: Freaky Fred went north while the newborn army went south.  He thinks he can disappear and start a new life.  The Cullens and the Volturi may not entirely agree. Lots of BxE, canon couples. Nominated for a Shimmer Award in the category of Best Comedy.
1. Chapter 1

Finding Fred

Chapter 1 – The Reason

Note to readers: This is my first chapter story. I'm uber-nervous, so I already wrote a few chapters to get a little head start. I'm planning to post them about once a week. I don't have a Beta, so any errors are mine and mine alone. Hope there aren't too many! I try to be careful.

Just playing with Ms. Meyer's characters a little.

"I have to go to Vancouver, BC," Edward announced out of the blue as I was about to take another bite of waffle. "I'll only be gone a day, maybe two."

"What? Why? What's in Vancouver?" I was taken aback at this sudden news, and instantly I started to panic. Too many things had happened already in too short a time frame and even though I'd just slept the whole night, I was still exhausted from it all. I didn't think there was any way possible to make me feel more exhausted, but it seemed Edward had managed to find something.

"It's nothing. I just need to go. It's a short trip. You'll hardly know I'm gone," Edward's reply softened as he stroked my arm in an attempt to calm me.

It took a minute to clear my mind. "How can you say it's nothing? You're talking about leaving me here while you go to Canada, right?"

He averted his eyes, but nodded.

As quickly as the panic had set in, it was replaced by anger. "Edward! I can't believe you would even consider leaving, especially right now, after all we just went through! You think a day or two counts as a 'short trip?' Right now, a trip to the bathroom seems like a too long for me to be away from you."

"Bella, it's no big deal. I just have to take care of some unfinished business," he replied a little too casually.

"What unfinished business could you possibly have in Canada? You don't really think you get to announce that you're leaving and I'm just going to sit here and smile while you drive off into the sunset, do you? If it's no big deal, then of course I'm coming with you."

"No, Bella. It's something I have to do alone." The look on his face told me he was planning to be firm on that point. I, however, had no trouble dealing with his stubbornness, and I would definitely NOT stand by as he walked away from me again. He promised he wouldn't, and I would hold him to it.

"Unless you're going there to hunt, you aren't leaving me behind," I replied matter-of-factly.

"Well, I am going there to hunt, sort of… and if all goes well, I'll be back by this time tomorrow."

"OK, first, what do you mean by _sort of_ going there to hunt? And second…, if all goes well? What are you supposedly hunting that might not go well?" I was determined to pull the truth out of him.

Edward sighed rather dramatically. "Bella, yesterday, Victoria got too close. If Seth hadn't been there…" he trailed off, shaking his head at the memory. "This trip… well, it's the only loose end and another thing that is simply too dangerous. I'm not going to risk your life ever again, and certainly not two days in a row."

"Do you remember why I insisted you come with me to the campsite, away from the battle? I needed you with me. Not want, Edward… NEED. I was the most selfish I've ever been in my life! I took you away from your family when I'm sure they could have used your help with the fight, but I wasn't going to make it without you. Don't you see? I can't be away from you like that, especially after what happened yesterday… The things I saw…" I all but whispered as the memories of the day began to overwhelm me again.

He pulled me close, and if he could have cried, I think he would have. I was already tearing up enough for the both of us.

"Bella, love, I'm so sorry for what you had to endure. You were stronger than I could have ever imagined. And more than anything, I truly don't want to leave you right now. Not ever, for that matter. If there was something I could do… another way to make this right, I would do it in a heartbeat. It's just that… I inadvertently made a promise yesterday, and I have to fulfill it," he sighed again.

I slowly took a half step back and lifted my head to look directly into his eyes. My voice was tiny, but what I had to say was not. "Edward… is that promise more important than the one you made to me?"

His eyes widened and he looked like I'd slapped him with the strength of a newborn. "Of course not, Bella! You're more important to me than anything. You know that!"

"Then how could you consider leaving me now, after the most terrifying day of my life?"

"I don't know what to say. I don't want to leave you. I wish I could make you understand how much it pains me to think of leaving you, even for a day. But I have this one opportunity to fix something. If I don't do this in the next few hours, it's over. I should have left last night, but I couldn't. I couldn't bear to leave you then either, but time is running out. If I don't make this right, I may not ever have another chance," he explained, although not thoroughly enough for me.

"Edward, just tell me what you feel you have to do! If you would stop being so cryptic and just say it…"

He paused, obviously contemplating how much, if anything, to tell me. "There's someone I have to see. I'm the only one who can find him because I will be able to hear his thoughts. He's going to need my specific knowledge and insight. It could very well mean life or death to him, and he's… well, he's important to someone who helped us yesterday. Unfortunately, he would be especially dangerous to you."

I looked at him with suspicion now that he was slowly revealing more of the story. "Who is he, who is he important to, and why, exactly, would he be especially dangerous… to me?"

"Bella," he said, showing signs of exasperation. "You have so many questions and I know I'm not helping with that, but I just don't think it would be wise to explain all of this to you. Right now, I'm the only one who knows about this person, and it would be safer for everyone if that remained the case."

"How would anyone find out that I knew? You can't read my mind. Aro can't even read my mind. And you KNOW I can keep a secret," I laughed rather loudly. "Anyway, your attempt at secrecy doesn't really matter, because I'm sure Alice has already seen the whole thing, considering about five minutes ago you made a decision to go to Canada. And if she knows, she'll tell Jasper, and if what you're doing is dangerous, they'll tell Carlisle and Esme. And it would just be a matter of time before Emmett and Rosalie found out. The cat's already out of the bag, or did you forget who your family is…?" I added with an eye roll for emphasis.

Edward looked flustered. He knew I was right about how news travelled through his family, and he would have to intercept it before it made the circuit. "I need to find Alice and Jasper right now."

"I believe that's my cue," Alice smirked as she stepped into the kitchen with Jasper on her heels. I hadn't even heard them come in. "Bella, Edward is right. It's too dangerous for you. Unless…" she paused, waiting.

"NO." Edward's voice sounded almost vicious, especially when he added a snarl or two.

"Take it easy, man," Jasper murmured as a sense of calm washed over us. "And don't growl at my wife. I tend to take that a little personally."

"Sorry… It's just that this is very serious. Alice, now that you know who I'm going to see, you have to agree it's a bad idea to take Bella along," Edward half-apologized, half-rationalized.

"If it was just the two of you, yes. But if Jasper and I came with you…" Alice added, pausing again.

Edward started whispering furiously, inciting Jasper and Alice to do the same. Every so often, one of them would gesture at me, and I struggled to listen, but it was nothing more than a buzz to my ears.

"Umm, people. Standing right here," I reminded them. "You could just talk TO me instead of ABOUT me."

The three of them stopped immediately. Alice stepped forward, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry, Bella. That was rude. It's just that there's more to the situation than Edward knew and now we have some other decisions to make. Edward does need to go, but not for the same reasons he thought he did. "

"I'm going to assume this is related to me," I huffed. "If it's about me, all the more reason for me to be involved. Now, tell me what's going on! In the past minute, the circumstances already changed drastically and I didn't even know what they were in the first place!"

"Well, here's the problem," Alice began, cautiously looking to Edward for approval. When he finally nodded, she continued. "When Edward decided to go to Canada, curiosity got the better of me, so I looked at who he was thinking about. He has your scent, Bella. He hasn't decided whether or not to pursue it, but part of him wants to. Your blood calls to him, almost like it does to Edward, and he thinks about it more than he should."

Something didn't make sense to me. "But you've seen him in your vision, right? So now that you know who he is, you'd be able to see if he was coming for me, right? Can't you just watch for him to make a decision, and then intercept him if he gets too close?"

Alice again looked to Edward for approval, which he reluctantly gave with another nod. "I would be able to see him, yes. But I wouldn't be able to _see_ him."

"Alice, you're not making sense!" I was in no mood for riddles.

"Bella," Edward answered as he took my hands in his, "He… this vampire, has a gift. He can make himself invisible to people if he doesn't want to be seen. I'm pretty sure, based on Alice's vision, that I'll be able to hear him, even if I can't see him. And now that I know he may be interested in you, he's a threat."

"But I thought you were just going to talk to him. What happened to you imparting your vast wisdom or whatever?" I hadn't intended to sound so sarcastic…

"That was my plan, but now that Alice has seen him thinking about your blood, the plan has changed. Before, I was mostly going to tell him the rules of vampire life, but now everything has become much, much more serious." Edward's tone was ominous.

"Dun dun dun," I sang the foreboding melody in my deepest voice, trying to break the tension a little, although even I didn't think it was particularly funny. Not when we were talking about matters of life and death… my life and death, or worse yet, Edward's.

Edward tried to humor me with a little smirk, but it looked a lot more like a grimace. "Bella, this is why you can't go with me. He's a newborn, and he's going to be stronger than me. If he caught your scent, he would most definitely try to get to you. I don't know that I could stop him, even though I would die trying. And before you say it, yes, I could probably take him down first, but 'probably' isn't good enough for me. Not when it comes to you and your safety," he said as he stroked my cheek softly.

"OK, but I don't have to be with you when you meet him. I could just go along, so I wouldn't have to be here alone, worried. Not right now. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach."

Edward started to respond, but Alice quickly interrupted. "Edward, I already told you that you can't go alone. It doesn't go well."

"Alice!" Edward exclaimed a little too late.

"What do you mean it doesn't go well?" I asked. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

Edward glared at Alice and it appeared she was going to modify her answer, but she blurted out, "I don't see him coming back."

I gasped.

"That's not going to happen. There's no need to worry Bella over speculation. I'm just going to talk to the guy. It'll be fine," Edward insisted.

"You know better than to bet against Alice," Jasper shot back.

"Jasper and Edward could go together, but…" Alice said as she looked down at the floor.

"But what?" I demanded.

"Well, it's complicated," Alice continued, suddenly trying to avoid answering. I tapped my foot impatiently, and she knew I wasn't going to let it go. "It's just that…"

"Oh, Alice. Just say it!" I was getting to the end of my rope.

"I hate to have to tell you this, but if Edward leaves you today, your relationship will never recover. It won't happen right away, and you'll try to forgive and forget, but you'll never fully trust him again. Eventually it will tear the two of you apart," she answered quickly, like saying it fast would make it less painful.

Everyone froze as I took a long moment to digest that information. As much as I wanted to deny the possibility, it could happen that way. I knew without trust, I could never even hope to forge a lasting relationship with anyone, let alone a vampire. It had been difficult enough to trust him again after he left me the first time. I wasn't sure I would survive another breach of faith. In my heart, I knew it didn't matter that it was just for a day. The mere fact that he would leave me again, breaking his promise twice, might be the death of 'us.'

"And what if he doesn't go at all?" I asked, hopeful that this entire thing could be avoided.

"The vampire may seek you out, or he might not. He hasn't decided. His mind is going back and forth on the subject. He's also curious to find out more about us, the ones he calls the 'yellow eyes.' I think he's trying to figure out some way to rationalize a stopover in Forks, because as he thinks about his future, his interest in us and desire for your blood are getting stronger," Alice warned.

Now, one might think I would eventually become quite accustomed to the idea of vampires desperately wanting my blood, since it happened so often now, but it was just one of those things that never became routine. I turned back to Alice. "OK, so what do we do? How will this work?"

Alice closed her eyes to concentrate. She began carefully. "Well, the only course of action that appears to have a good outcome all around is if the four of us go together. Unless something changes, we'll find this vampire, talk to him, set him straight, and be on our way home before rush hour."

"OK, then. That's the plan. Are we all in?" I asked, looking at Edward, just daring him to oppose me.

Jasper, Alice, and Edward shared a knowing glance that didn't escape my attention. I was about to ask what it was about when Edward nodded. "I don't like it, but… it's a plan."

Relieved, I started thinking of logistics. "What about Carlisle and Esme? Aren't they going to wonder where we're going and why?"

"Edward calls them to explain, and at first they want to go, too, especially Emmett, but then he tells them why that won't work and they understand it would be better if it's just the four of us," Alice replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Maybe someone can explain to ME why it's better if it's just the four of us," I thought out loud. The three vampires shared another meaningful glance. "OK, what's up? What am I missing?"

Jasper jumped in. "Alice saw that having too many of us there would scare him off. The three of us may overwhelm him a little as it is."

That made sense, but it still felt like an incomplete answer. I decided to let it go, for now. I needed a lot of answers, so I would just add this to the growing list in my head. There was only one thing I needed to know right now…

"Edward, who did you make a promise to that's taking us up to British Columbia?"

His answer startled me. "Bree."


	2. Chapter 2

Finding Fred

Chapter 2 – The Journey

Note to readers: I don't have a Beta, so any errors are mine and mine alone. Hope there aren't too many! I try to be careful.

Just playing with Ms. Meyer's characters a little.

Bree. The newborn. The one who surrendered. She was in such pain being near me, her virtually uncontrollable bloodlust almost causing her to lunge at me, although doing so would have meant her instantaneous death. She was terrifying, yet I had to look at her. Would I be like her once I was changed? Snarling, burning, out of control… a genuine, honest-to-goodness monster?

I wanted so badly to talk to her, to find out what the change was like, to have her explain what her life was like now, but it wasn't exactly as if we could sit down over a cup of tea (blood for her) and have some nice civilized girl talk. I know she would have told me the whole truth, except that she would be too busy killing me at the time.

Each member of my new family could tell me in graphic detail about the change, but I was pretty sure none of them would give me the full, unedited version. Even Rosalie. They didn't want to scare me, and while I appreciated that, I also wanted to know what was coming. It wouldn't change my mind – I was in this for long haul – but it would be better to know what to expect. I couldn't prepare for it, per se, but at least I would understand what was going to happen to me.

I was haunted by Bree's eyes. The look on her face was burned into my memory, and I wondered if I would always carry it with me. Of course, the memory would be strongest today, immediately after the fact, but it was so vivid that I couldn't imagine it ever going away completely.

Bree was the only newborn I'd ever seen in person, and while I'd heard tales of being out of control with the all-consuming bloodlust, my only reference points were the vampires I knew: the Cullens, the Volturi, and those associated with Victoria. They were all mature enough to have some measure of control, evidenced by the fact that I was still alive.

Jasper had tried to kill me that one time, which was terrifying to say the least, but there was something infinitely more civil about his attempt. And James had taken time to taunt me, to enjoy the hunt, and play with his food, as it were, before taking down his prey. It was cold and calculated and vicious, but controlled. Bree's entire demeanor was wildly savage.

Apparently at some point in her brief encounter with us, she had asked Edward for something and he had promised her he would do it. I never heard any of this, which in and of itself wasn't surprising, but if it was said aloud at all, every other vampire in the vicinity would have. So, he must not have spoken to her. They had to have communicated through thoughts. Did she know he could read minds? Could she read minds, too? I suddenly had a billion new questions, and I planned to get answers, but right now, we needed to get moving.

The first order of business was to tell Charlie about my "shopping trip" with Alice. I tried to call him, but he was apparently out on one of his rare, genuine police matters in the bustling metropolis of Forks, so I left him a note at home. I could just imagine him coming back to find me gone, no explanation, then sending out an APB for his missing daughter. Border patrol would probably try to arrest Edward for kidnapping me. I smiled to myself as my imagination wandered to images of troopers trying to handcuff my vampire abductors.

I started to write that Alice and I were going shopping in Seattle, but Edward reminded me that Charlie would have a conniption if he thought we would be in Seattle where all the killings were happening. We knew the reported serial killers, so prevalent in the papers of late, were not going to be seen again, but my dad wouldn't know that.

We decided Bellingham would be a better choice for our fake shopping excursion. Being about an hour and a half north of Seattle, it would be far enough away for Charlie not to worry, and also far enough that it would make sense to spend the night, if needed. And while I knew this was downright illogical, it somehow felt like less of a lie to tell him Bellingham, since it was closer to our actual destination. I didn't know why that should make a difference, but somehow it just felt closer to the truth. Close enough for Charlie's need-to-know purposes, I rationalized.

I ran upstairs to use the bathroom, grab toiletries and a change of clothes, and locate my passport, then down to the kitchen for a bottle of water and some snacks. Since Emmett wasn't there, nobody teased me about taking a few minutes to gather my human accoutrements, and while I knew we were in a hurry, nobody rushed me. I was going as fast as I could, which to a vampire I'm sure was painstakingly slow.

Thankfully, Edward had my heavy coat in hand. I definitely would have forgotten it since it was hanging in the laundry room, drying from the previous day. Out of sight is out of mind, until later when I would be freezing. Realistically, Alice would have happily bought me a new one at the first opportunity, but I really didn't need another one, not that anything as ridiculous as 'need' would make a difference to her.

The four of us piled into the Volvo and headed toward Port Angeles. There was still snow on the ground, but at least it wasn't actively snowing and the road was clear. I already had a difficult time with Edward's fast driving, but if we were on snow, too, I would never be able to relax.

"How long is it going to take to get to Vancouver? Aren't we cutting it close?" I asked. We had a rather long drive ahead of us, even at Edward-speed.

"We'll get there in time. Don't worry, Bella," Alice answered.

I sat back to enjoy the ride, or I should say to tolerate the ride.

"Well, it's at least a half hour to Port Angeles, the way you drive…" I teased Edward. "That should give me enough time for some of my questions."

Edward rolled his eyes, but asked, "What do you want to know?"

"My first question is, if I start asking you questions, are you going to answer them? Truthfully?"

"Bella! Why would you say that? Of course I'll answer truthfully! I would never lie to you!" Edward realized the error in his words almost as soon as they fell from his mouth and he immediately went from indignant to ashamed.

I reached over to touch his arm, sorry because I hadn't meant it to go in that direction, but he quickly shrugged away.

"Pull over!" Jasper commanded from the back seat. Edward looked annoyed at his brother, but complied.

Once on the side of the road, I turned around in my seat to face an irritated Jasper. "Bella, I know you didn't mean to drag up the past like that, but your feelings are there, just under the surface, and they're going to come out sometimes because whether you want to admit it or not, you don't fully trust Edward to be true to his word. You have good reason to feel that way, but seriously, you need to work through your feelings because Edward loves you desperately and the only reason he ever lied to you was to protect you. From me specifically, might I add…

"And for God's sake, Edward, you need to forgive yourself. Beating yourself up from now to eternity isn't going to change what happened. You made a very stupid mistake. You were… get ready, because I'm going to say it… you were WRONG! The Great Edward Cullen was wrong. OK? Even smart vampires like yourself are wrong sometimes. Bella loves you, and if you continue to hurt her because you can't let go of the past hurt you caused her, well then you will officially be the stupidest creature on the planet. OK? I don't know about you, but I don't want to deal with all these emotions right now. You people are wearing me out already. I need to be sharp today. Stay focused! We have bigger fish to fry here," Jasper concluded angrily.

And then there was silence. A very loud silence. Jasper generally didn't speak much. In fact, that was by far the most I'd ever heard him say in one stretch. Alice talked almost constantly, so I always figured Jasper just couldn't fit a word in edgewise if he wanted to, but apparently when he did have something to say, he could, and it was a good idea to listen.

Edward reached for my hand and gave it a little squeeze, we shared a smile, and then he pulled back onto the road. Nobody said anything for a while.

"OK, I didn't mean to kill every emotion entirely," Jasper finally said, breaking the ice. Edward and I chuckled.

"That was hard to hear, but you've given me some things to think about, Jaz," I responded. Edward nodded and smiled at Jasper in the rearview mirror. I knew they were having one of those silent conversations I hated so much, but I couldn't exactly scold them in this case. What Jasper had said to Edward was spot-on, too. Both of us needed to truly forgive, rebuild, and move forward.

Edward took advantage of the relative silence to call Carlisle to explain the situation. Of course, the call went exactly as Alice had predicted. Even with my human ears, I could hear Emmett in the background complaining loudly about not being part of the action, as if the previous day hadn't held enough action. I think Emmett would have liked to fight a different newborn army every day, if he had the choice.

During his conversation, occasionally Edward would talk so quietly, I couldn't hear him. Jasper and Alice were both nodding, so that meant I was the only one left out. Again. Naturally this drove me out of my mind.

I tried to imagine all the possible reasons Edward might have for being so secretive at this point. I mean, I was already on the trip. I knew the basics of why we were going, or at least I thought I did. Maybe there was more to it than I was being told. I didn't like that idea one bit.

We got to Port Angeles in record time, as we did every time Edward or Alice drove, and headed straight for the docks. We parked in front of a shabby little office with a "Closed" sign in the window. I was puzzled.

"I thought we were going to drive…" I started to say, but Edward cut me off with a quick kiss.

"This is one of those times when it's nice to have money," he said, donning his signature crooked smile before getting out of the car.

A very happy looking man with leathery, weather-worn skin came out to greet us, locking up the office door on his way out. He and Edward shook hands, there was some pointing and chatting, then Edward got back in the car and followed the man in his golf cart to one of the smaller docks, away from the main ones where the huge Black Ball Ferries took passengers to and from the City of Victoria.

I still wasn't sure where we were going exactly, until Edward followed the cart down a ramp onto an awaiting ferry. Compared to the massive ships nearby, this was quite a bit smaller, but it still seemed huge to. It looked like maybe 20 cars could fit in the parking compartment below deck where we sat.

But there was only one car onboard. The Volvo looked a little strange sitting by itself in the middle of the huge floating parking lot. Or maybe I just felt a little strange, being one of four passengers on a ship that could obviously accommodate 100 people or more.

"When did you make these arrangements?" I asked. I knew Edward hadn't been on the phone except for talking to Carlisle. "And do I even want to know how much this cost?"

"I made the reservations as soon as I saw that we were all going, including the car," Alice chirped brightly. I should have known. "And no, you do not want to know what this cost. Let's just say that our captain was all too happy to give his afternoon sight-seeing excursion to a competitor."

"No wonder he was grinning from ear to ear," I mumbled.

"If you're going to be a Cullen, you need to learn to spend money once in a while. What's the point of having it if you don't spend it?" Alice giggled. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't imagine not caring about the price of things.

"Well, if we're just going to throw money around, shouldn't we have flown? Wouldn't that have been faster?"

Edward took my hand, looking deeply into my eyes, clearly concerned. "There's a reason this ferry ride is especially expensive, Bella. The captain has a few places to dock where we won't have to… umm… take the time to go through customs. That type of extra service doesn't come cheap. I know… technically, it's breaking the law, but we all have passports and proper ID. We're just not taking the time to show it to the Canadian government right now."

Despite his obviously sincere explanation, I burst into laughter. "Why, Edward Cullen, I do believe you just admitted your intention to commit an international crime! Who knew you could so easily justify breaking the law? You're such a rebel. I'll have to remember that in the future."

I winked at him as Jasper and Alice laughed loudly. If I didn't know better, I would say Edward blushed.

The ship's captain greeted us as we got out of the car. "We'll be heading out in just a few minutes, folks. If you want to go out on deck, make sure you bundle up because it's gonna be cold out there. You can have some coffee in the galley. I just made it fresh a while ago. Not sure I have much in the way of food. This was all kinda sudden…"

"Thank you, but I'm sure we'll be fine," Edward reassured him.

"OK, well, if you head up them stairs…" he pointed and trailed off. I wasn't sure, but I thought he looked a little… scared as he hurriedly made his way to a door and disappeared inside.

We made our way up to the deck. The skies were overcast as usual, as the captain predicted, the cold was particularly biting as the boat started across the Sound. I felt it all the way to the bone. I'd have been frozen solid without my coat. I would have to properly thank Edward for that later… and maybe I'd even catch him while he was still in the mood to break some rules.

Alice and Jasper stayed out on the deck to watch the world go by. Alice was hoping to see porpoises. I sort of wanted to look for them, too, but Edward insisted we go inside, warning me not to pretend I wasn't cold. He hated it when I did that. This time, it wasn't like I could hide it. My teeth were chattering so loud, I would probably scare away the fish. Of course, having vampires in the vicinity would likely scare them anyway.

The passenger cabin was warm and clean, although the seats looked like they came from a 1970's school bus. They were about as comfortable, too, but with Edward there, it didn't really matter. I snuggled close to him, and even though he was just as cold as the outside weather, I started feeling warmer immediately.

"So…" Edward started. I looked at him expecting him to continue, but he was looking at me the same way.

"Oh, yes. That's right. It's time for questions!"

He reluctantly nodded. "Yes, let's get the grilling over with."

"What makes you think I'm going to grill you?" I asked with a smile.

"That's one trait you definitely share with your father. You're both detectives and interrogators. Relentless."

"OK, fine. Then let the grilling begin!" I announced with a laugh. "First question – "

"You already asked your first question," he quietly reminded me.

"Oh, yeah…" I said, suddenly solemn. "If it's OK with you, can we just pretend that one never happened?"

"Of course, my love," he cooed into my ear. It was very sweet, but in the back of my mind, I had to wonder if this wasn't an attempt to distract me. That wasn't going to happen.

OK, first question… did Bree…" I choked a little on her name. "…read minds, too ?"

"No," he answered without explanation.

I sighed, already exasperated. "This will go a lot faster if you give me more than one word answers."

"OK," was his only reply. I rolled my eyes at him as he grinned back at me.

"You are a horrible brat. You know that, right?" He nodded as I leaned in for a kiss.

"And I'll keep being a horrible brat if that is my penalty," he said through a growing grin.

"Stop trying to dazzle me. You can't distract me forever," I almost whined, causing him to laugh.

"I intend to try, you know…"

I gave his arm a little tap and he winced like I'd actually hurt him. "Someday I'm going to smack you and it will mean something, and then you'll be sorry."

"Well, when that time comes, I guess I'd better not give you any cause to smack me," he reasoned, enjoying this a little too much.

I smiled and almost fell into his attempt to divert my attention. Almost.

"OK, where was I? Oh, yes. Bree. You didn't actually talk to her, right? I mean, I didn't hear anything, obviously, but you wouldn't talk to her in front of the Volturi, right?"

"No, I didn't talk to her, but apparently Riley had told them one of us could read minds. She figured out it was me, so she was trying to tell me as much as she could before…" he paused. "Well, she knew what was going to happen to her, and she didn't have a lot of time left, so she told me as much of her story as she could. She didn't know what Victoria and Riley had been up to exactly, but she knew they had lied to her and she was grateful that I'd killed them."

"How did she know the Volturi would kill her? Carlisle was offering her a place with our family…" I trailed off. Part of me wanted her to join us, at least until she learned some self-control, because she was a danger to herself and others. And having a few more vegetarian vampires in the world wouldn't hurt my feelings. I had to admit, however, that part of me was hoping they would just let her go and she would run away and never come back.

The one thing I didn't want was what happened. Even though Edward held my face to his chest to protect me from witnessing her dismemberment, I still heard everything. I had seen Seth ripping Riley to shreds, and then Edward had done the same with Victoria. I didn't have to see Bree's face to know what she would look like when the Volturi guard started tearing her apart. I shuddered.

"This morning, I told Jasper and Alice the entire story when I realized they were coming with us. I was planning to talk to the whole family about it together, but I haven't had a chance to get everyone in the same place at the same time until the phone call on the drive. Carlisle was helping with Jacob yesterday and I was with you… this news is extremely important, and it's one of the reasons we're making this trip today," Edward said grimly.

"O…K…? Do I want to know this? I mean, I want to know, but maybe I'm sort of scared to know?" It came out as a question rather than a statement. I didn't know what he was going to say, but whatever it was, it just couldn't be good.

Edward stroked my arm and pulled me in a little closer. "Remember when I said it was an interesting coincidence that the Volturi showed up right after the battle? I knew they were aware of what was happening. I even read it in one of the guard's thoughts. But Bree told me that 'the dark cloaks' as she called them had met with Victoria and Riley several days before the battle. They were hoping Victoria would have at least some success in reducing our numbers, although they didn't offer any assistance to ensure a victory.

"Jane didn't know how much the newborn army had been told. Bree was smart enough not to divulge any information, but Jane had her killed anyway, just in case she knew anything that might incriminate the Volturi. Now we're going to meet Fred, Bree's friend who left the newborn army yesterday morning. Bree would have left with him, but she was looking for someone named Diego. She found out too late that Diego had already been tortured and killed by Victoria and Riley. He knew too much."

I felt goosebumps rise all over my body. I shivered, and it certainly wasn't from the cold this time. I really didn't want to know what one vampire did to physically torture another, but it had to be horrible.

"Why would Victoria torture and kill one of her army, when what she needed was numbers?"

"I don't know," Edward answered, looking puzzled. "I guess that would be a good question for Fred. I'm hoping he has some insight on this entire situation based on whatever stories Riley told them. He might carry crucial information without even knowing it."

"So, tell me more about this Fred. What do you know about him?"

"He has a very unusual power…" he started.

"I know. Alice told me. You can't see him if he doesn't want you to."

Edward smiled. "Well, yes, that's true. What she didn't mention is how he accomplishes this feat. He can cause such revulsion that even other vampires feel physically sick if they try to get close to him. Fred is a loner. Instead of marauding through the streets of Seattle with the other newborns, it appears he spent most of his time practicing his gift until he could actually cause himself to be invisible to those he didn't want to see him. If they tried to remember him, they would get nauseated and automatically forget again, to ease the discomfort. It's actually quite impressive."

"Well that just sounds wrong," I mused. "Someone who can literally make you sick just by looking at him? That's a strange power. I mean, I guess it would be effective, but I don't think I'd want to be protected because I was so repulsive that nobody could look at me."

He ran his finger under my chin and gazed deep into my eyes. "That, my love, is one problem you will never have to worry about." Of course, I blushed like crazy as his lips gently touched mine.

Once I remembered to breathe again, I couldn't help but ask, "This is probably a silly question, but I thought all vampires were beautiful. Is this Fred guy ugly?"

Edward threw his head back and laughed. "No, based on Alice's vision, he's definitely not ugly. He can just make people feel sick, but it's not because he's actually horrifying to look at or anything."

"Oh," I said, feeling somewhat naïve. "So, if he's such a loner, how did Bree become his friend?"

"She didn't think about that, so I'm not really sure. My guess is that he let his guard down for her. I don't know why. Based on her thoughts, she considered Diego to be more of a love interest, so it wasn't that… At least not for her. She did think fondly of Fred, however. She asked me to be kind to him."

"OK, so let me put this all together. Bree was supposed to find this Diego, and the two of them were going to… what? Meet up with Fred in Vancouver? Form their own little coven?"

Edward nodded. "That appears to have been the plan. Fred gave her 24 hours to meet him in Vancouver. After that, he was going to disappear. The problem is, he doesn't know the rules of vampire life. He doesn't know about the Volturi. If they received news of a survivor from the newborn army, it would be a death sentence for him. All it would take is for Aro to read my mind to discover his existence, and then Demetri would track him down. Fred's only hope would be his gift, but Jane could probably debilitate him before he even knew what hit him.

"Bella, I hope you can see now why I felt I had to do this for Bree. She gave us some very important information and her dying wish was that I would warn Fred about the Volturi… about the rules, so he didn't end up like the rest of them."

I did see, and I would have told him so, but I realized my throat felt tight and I had tears in my eyes. I tried to understand my own reaction to this story. Certainly it was sad… tragic even, but it was more than that. Edward, my noble, loving Edward, had been trying to do what he knew was right while also trying to keep me happy and feeling secure. His sense of duty and his love for me were pulling him apart, and I had been forcing him into a no-win situation.

"I was wrong earlier," I squeaked out, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I said yesterday was the most selfish I'd ever been, but it was today." And with that, I started to cry. No, not to cry… to sob.

He pulled me into his lap as I wept. All my distrust and attempts at self-preservation fell to the wayside. Edward wasn't perfect, but he was a man of integrity and true character. And he loved me. I would try not to allow those two things to be at odds again.

"Bella, my darling, don't cry." His voice was slow and soothing as he stroked my hair. "I know I haven't earned your trust back yet. I said I wouldn't leave and then I did. I crushed you, and I know because I crushed me, too. I swear to you, I will earn your trust again. I don't expect you to hand it over with a pretty bow on top. I broke it and I need to fix it. And I will."

I only nodded, unable to form the words I wanted to say. If he could read my thoughts, he would know that I loved him beyond measure. Yes, he'd broken us, but we were mending now and once the wounds fully healed, we would be more strongly bonded than ever.

Several minutes passed before I was able to get a grip on my tears. Edward's shirt had soaked up a pool of them by the time I lifted my head from his shoulder. I stupidly thought about being happy I wasn't wearing mascara. These were the moments when I was especially glad Edward couldn't read my mind. No doubt he would think I was crazy.

Jasper and Alice came inside and both gave me a look of concern.

"Don't look at me like that! You're going to make me cry again!" I whined.

Alice sat beside me and took my hand. "We just want you to be OK. You know that."

"I know," I pouted. "I just hate that look of sympathy. 'Oh, look at the poor little human. She's crying again.'"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella, if I could cry, there are plenty of times I would. I don't think crying is a weakness. Plus, do you realize how much you've been through in the past few months? Or even in the past day? I think most 'poor little humans' would have crumbled by now. Crying once in a while would be the least of their problems."

I appreciated the sentiment, and I wasn't about to argue with her, but I still couldn't help feeling sort of pathetic when I was the only one crying. It wasn't logical, of course, because I knew they couldn't cry, but then again, it wasn't really about logic. The fact that I was wrapped in the arms of a vampire and was being comforted by two others wasn't exactly the most rational thing, either. Truth be told, irrational had become the largest part of my life.


	3. Chapter 3

Finding Fred

Chapter 3 – The Plan

I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review! I would love to hear feedback. I do a lot of business writing, but I really almost never write for fun. I'd like to improve my fiction writing, so please let me know what you like or don't like.

Just playing with Ms. Meyer's characters a little.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Edward said suddenly.

"Who are you talking to?" I asked. He knew I despised his silent conversations.

"Oh, Alice was just wondering if she could take you shopping in Vancouver."

Alice kicked Edward so fast, it was not much more than a blur, but his wince let me know that I really did see it.

He glared at her. "OK, fine. Bella, Alice was actually wondering if I'd explained the plan to you, and then after we'd resolved everything with Fred, she could take you shopping." He turned back to Alice and added, "Is that better, your highness?"

"Yes, and you can keep calling me that, too!" she said with a giggle. "But seriously, I see this going much better if we're all in on the plan."

I was confused, again. "Wait. There's an actual plan? And we're all involved? I thought I was just coming along for the ride. If I'm involved, why wasn't I included in the planning? Hmmmm?" I looked at Edward expectantly. He didn't look happy.

"Bella, I'm sorry, but you are not involved in the plan. Alice seems to have this idea that you should be close by, but I told her already… SEVERAL TIMES," he emphasized as he glowered at her, "that you will be nowhere near us when we go to meet Fred. And one of us will be with you at all times. You will never be within a mile of him. I thought that was understood, Alice," he reprimanded firmly.

"Yes, dear brother. I understood you. Understanding and agreeing are two different things."

I was immediately suspicious. Alice would never put my life in danger any more than Edward would, so why would she think I should be there? Certainly this Fred would catch my scent. Did Alice want to use me as bait? She would never do that, and Edward would be furious if she tried. He was irritated with her right now, but nowhere near furious. Jasper would like the idea of bait to draw Fred out, but after he even hinted at it with the newborn army, Edward practically tore him limb from limb. And that's a serious threat in vampire world.

A door at the rear of the cabin opened, startling me. I'd completely forgotten there was a captain on board. He looked at me and my three companions with a mix of fear and confusion, fear of them and confusion about my place in this odd little group. He visibly shook it off, regaining his senses, perhaps also remembering how much money he was being paid for this short trip.

"We'll be there in about 45 minutes, folks," he said. "Once we're docked, I'm going to need you to exit the ship immediately, cuz ya see… I can't be hangin' around in Canadian waters without proper clearance. In the meantime, do you need anything? Did you get some coffee? I found a box of donuts up on the bridge. They're from yesterday… not that you'd want those… ummm… yeah… so… I'm just gonna…" he trailed off nervously as he exited the way he came in.

"He and I made a sort of don't-ask-don't-tell agreement earlier," Edward explained to us. "He's rethinking it. He's wondering what kind of trouble we're trying to avoid and what kind of trouble he might get in if the authorities catch him."

Alice chimed in, "Just give him a nice tip and a promise to do business again in the future and that will shut him right up." She grinned, pleased with herself.

"Wow, that really IS a nice tip I give him. Do I really need to give him that much on top of what he's already being paid?" Edward laughed.

Alice sighed. "Yes, you do. And don't you start getting all cheap, like Bella!"

"Alice!" I huffed, feeling just a tiny bit offended. "I am NOT cheap! I just spend judiciously. I'm careful, that's all."

"If you keep being so careful, your clothes will be so old and raggedy, they'll just fall apart while you're walking down the street someday, and then you'll be sorry you didn't listen to me."

I rolled my eyes. "Is that in one of your visions, or did you just make that part up?"

"It could have been a vision. Yes, come to think of it, it WAS a vision. So there!" she lied, badly.

"Well, if I end up walking down the street naked because my clothes fell off, I'll call you. In the meantime, I don't need anything, Alice. I'm fine with what I have," I answered, much to her chagrin.

"Can I watch?" Edward quietly teased, earning him another smack.

"You need everything! Have you even looked at your wardrobe lately? Let me buy you some new things. Just a few?" Alice pleaded while bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Well…. if you just have to get me something, I want a bulky orange sweater and a pair of striped polyester pants. And how about some second-hand Keds from the thrift store?" I joked.

"Oh, Bella! You're so mean to me! What did I ever do to you?" She whined.

"Well, for starters, you called me cheap!"

She flashed the saddest pair of puppy-dog eyes I'd ever seen. It was a pathetic display that caused me to laugh out loud.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Really, I am. Will you forgive me?" she added with a few extra blinks of her long, dark eyelashes.

"I'm not really mad, Alice. You know that."

Suddenly she was jumping up and down, clapping, and grinning like a child at Christmas. "We're just going to have the best time!" she announced. I was confused, and I wondered if maybe, in her mind, I'd somehow promised to go shopping with her. I most certainly did not do any such thing. Edward just shook his head and smiled, while Jasper pulled Alice into his arms, obviously enjoying her happy mood.

While we let Alice enjoy her moment, I returned to thinking about our upcoming encounter with yet another newborn. From what I could gather from their obscure comments, Alice was insisting I needed to be there and Edward had forbidden it. I understood his motives. They were the same as always – keep Bella safe. It was his mantra. But Alice… that I didn't understand. What benefit could I possibly provide that would help our mission? One that didn't involve me being the lure?

"… and then the leopard print won't look out of place," Alice finished an entire ramble that I hadn't heard. She shook her head. "Bella, you weren't listening to me, were you!"

"Something about leopards?" I asked, confused as to what she might have been talking about.

Alice sighed melodramatically. "Geez, Bella, sometimes I wonder if you're even a girl!"

At that comment, Edward pulled me closer and kissed my temple. "I can assure you, Alice. Bella is ALL girl."

I probably turned 14 shades of red until Jasper decided to taunt Edward further. "How do you know, Edward? I thought the two of you weren't... You know… Are you?" Make that 15 shades.

"That is really none of your business, now is it," Edward chastised him, causing Jasper to laugh heartily.

"That's a 'no' if I've ever heard one," he all but snorted. Edward continued to glare, I continued to blush, and Jasper continued to laugh at both of us.

"It's time to go back to the car," Alice interrupted, thankfully.

A few seconds later, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Folks, I'm going to ask you to return to your car now. I'll meet you on the parking deck when we're docked."

We made our way down to the lower deck and piled into the car. The ferry pulled into a small cove, up to what appeared to be an old boat ramp that had been upgraded to accommodate a larger ship like this one. It was obscured by brush and overhanging trees. If you weren't specifically looking for it, you might not see it at all. There was a one-lane dirt and gravel road leading up a little hill, and we couldn't see over it to the other side. I felt a little adrenaline rush as I wondered if the Canadian police might be watching us… waiting for us to disembark so they could arrest us for illegally crossing their border.

Of course, if that had been the case, Alice would have seen it and Edward would hear their thoughts, but it was sort of fun to think about some type of James Bond-style chase through the Canadian wilderness. Again, I was allowing my imagination to run wild, and again, I was glad Edward couldn't hear my ridiculous thoughts.

Once the ship had docked, the captain opened the front gate and motioned us forward. As we drove up the ramp, Edward handed the captain an envelope that I guessed held some large amount of cash. "Nice doing business with you," Edward said. "If you keep our agreement, I'm sure we can do business again."

The captain nodded and shook Edward's hand, despite the fact that he looked quite wary. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen. It was my pleasure, and you don't have to worry about me. As I like to say, I run a tight ship, and keep a tight lip." He chucked at his own joke, waving to us as we drove out of sight.

We went north through the town of Tsawwassen (which I could not figure out how to pronounce for the life of me), and it had been fairly quiet for about 10 minutes, all of us lost in our individual thoughts.

Finally, I broke the silence. "OK, I'm tired of being kept in the dark here. I know there's a plan and I want to know what it is," I demanded.

"Edward…" Alice said in a voice that was both a whine and a warning. She obviously wanted to tell me and felt it was important enough to argue with Edward about it.

"No, Alice. I don't care what you see. It's not going to happen that way. Look for another way, because this way isn't it," he countered.

"Edward, you know it doesn't work like that! I see what I see. It's just not going to work any other way," she nearly shouted.

"But your vision doesn't make any sense. Explain to me why it has to be that way. Why can't I take point and Jasper be the watch? Or vice versa?" Edward challenged.

"I don't know exactly," Alice admitted. "All I know is that it won't work. Something happens. Something I can't see, but I know it's not going to work. You just have to trust me on this one. I'm as sure as I can be."

"Alright you two," Jasper cut in. "I've had enough. Edward, you know Alice is right. We can't risk the outcome she sees. We need to follow her plan."

"But Bella might be in danger," Edward retorted.

The three of them started arguing in their fast-talking buzz that was usually too quiet for me to even hear, but this time, it was actually pretty loud. Still a buzz, almost like a swarm of bees, and too fast for me to decipher even a single word.

"STOP IT!" I yelled a little louder than I probably needed to, but this was getting out of control. "Guys, just talk to me. Despite what you all think, I'm not just a weak little girl. I can handle it. And maybe, just maybe, I could even think of something to make the plan better. I know it's hard for you to believe that I might be smart enough and strong enough to actually be of some genuine assistance here, but I would also think you would know better than to underestimate me. I mean, how many humans do you know who've faced the Volturi and lived to tell the tale? "

They looked at each other with various amounts of shame on their faces. All at once, they started apologizing and explaining over the top of each other, which was a good solid 10 percent worse than the buzzing.

"Edward, you have to listen to Alice on this one. Bella will be safe. You know we wouldn't do anything to risk her," Jasper broke through, seeming quite frustrated.

"I don't like it. Not at all. Too many things could go wrong," Edward defended, but I could see he was softening. That meant one thing: Alice was right, and he knew it.

"Alice, if you're sure I have to be part of the plan for it to work, then I have to do my part. I know you'll keep me safe. I trust you. All three of you," I said with a particularly meaningful glance toward Jasper. He nodded appreciatively.

"Alright! Fine!" Edward boomed. "If we're going to do this right, I guess we don't really have a choice. I have half a mind to turn around and forget it, though." He paused, then softened as he turned to me. "I guess if your life is going to be in danger either way, Bella, I would rather face it head-on than wait for it to sneak up on us."

"He wouldn't be able to sneak up on us if I understood his power better," Alice grumbled. "I can't see the wolves, but I figured out a way to find them. Just look for the blank spots! But Fred… the more I watch him, the less I see of him."

"I don't understand what you mean. I thought you said you could see him in your visions," I questioned.

She pondered her response. "Well, I figured out that I can only see him in the flesh when nobody else is around. He must drop his guard sometimes. As soon as someone enters the picture, he disappears completely. There's not even a blank spot where he should be. Yet I know he's there. I can't explain it any better than that."

"So, you think I'll be able to see him," I guessed. It was the only logical conclusion, the only reason it would make sense for me to be there.

"I'm hoping so, yes," Alice answered. "I mean, I see you knowing where he moves, but right now, it's all pretty fuzzy. What I see more clearly is him going dark and disappearing from us entirely if you're not there."

"Bella, you don't have to go with us if you don't want to," Edward added. "We'll find a way to deal with Fred if you don't want to be there."

"You've got to be kidding! There's actually a role for me this time and you think I'm going to sit on the sidelines and let you tell me about it later? I have a chance to help, so of course I'm going to do it."

Edward sighed. "I can't read your mind, yet I knew that's what you were going to say…"


	4. Chapter 4

Finding Fred

Chapter 4 – The Message

A/N: This chapter took me a bit longer to complete. House guests. If I ignored them to write Twilight fanfic, I'd never hear the end of it. Technically, I'm supposed to be an adult, or so I'm told.

Anyway, please review! I would love to hear both what you like and/or don't like about my writing, story, character development, etc.

Just playing in Stephenie's world.

As we drove past the sign welcoming us to the City of Vancouver, Edward and Alice laid out the plan.

Fred would be waiting in, ironically enough, Riley Park. A light wind was blowing in from the ocean, so Edward and Jasper would enter the park from the northeast and southeast corners, respectively. We would use our phones to text so Fred wouldn't be alerted to our presence immediately.

"You don't have to do this, Bella," Edward reiterated for what seemed like the billionth time. "You really shouldn't even be here. We don't know enough about this guy for me to feel like you're safe."

"If I wasn't going to be safe, don't you think Alice would see it? Hmmmm?" I hadn't intended for that to come out so sarcastic-sounding, but it did. If he said the word 'safe' one more time, I was going to lose it.

"Alice even admitted she's having a hard time getting a read on him," Edward reminded me… again.

I turned in my seat to face him. "Listen. I'm going. End of story. I appreciate your concern and I know why you worry, but I have three very strong, very experienced vampires here to protect me. I'm probably the safest human on the planet right now and you know it."

Edward half-closed his eyes and slowly shook his head, like he was exasperated by a stubborn child. I suppose the comparison wasn't too far from the truth – I was stubborn, but then again, so was he. When we were working together, we became an unstoppable force. When working in opposition, we made each other, and everyone around us, crazy.

We were a few blocks east of Fred's location when Edward pulled over. "Well, this is it." he said while establishing eye contact with Alice in the rearview mirror, "If there is any sign that Fred might be able to hurt Bella, you grab her and run. I don't care if humans see you or if it means we'll have trouble with the Volturi later. You just get her out of there as fast as you can."

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting. He was not amused. "Yes, Edward. Of course, I'll take care of Bella. I love her, too, you know."

Alice and Jasper got out of the car, giving us a moment of privacy. "Edward, look at me," I said while guiding his face in my direction. Thankfully, he allowed me to move his head toward me. "I don't have any more desire to die today than I did yesterday. Alice said it's going to be important that I'm involved and I want to do my part. I know you'll protect me, and if you can't for some reason, Jasper and Alice will. Try not to worry, OK? I love you so much, I can't even begin to tell you."

He leaned in to kiss me, melting me into a puddle right there in the front seat. We smiled at each other, caressing one another's faces, sharing a moment that needed no words.

We were brought out of our reverie when Jasper tapped on the window, obviously becoming impatient. Reluctantly, Edward got out of the car and allowed Alice to get in. He blew me a kiss before he and Jasper crossed the street.

"Lovesick puppies," Alice said and rolled her eyes as she took the wheel. It only took us a minute to find a parking space, which I'm sure Alice had already seen. She was grinning at me as she nodded toward a street sign. I giggled when I read it: King Edward Drive. Again, ironic. It felt good to laugh a little because thinking about this meeting was making me a bit nervous. OK, really nervous.

As quickly as we could, we crossed the busy streets and made our way to the entrance of the large community center on the north side of the Riley Park. Inside was an ice skating rink where some guys were playing hockey, a game I never could fully understand. What the heck was 'icing?'

The second floor was open to the rink on one side, and the back of the building was entirely made of massive, thick windows overlooking the park.

We headed to a small sitting area on second floor and took our post near the back window. Alice had assured me that Fred would not catch my scent from there. I knew if he did, he would recognize it immediately and I had no doubt he would try to seek me out.

I liked being downwind and having a building between us, because as much as I would never admit it out loud, especially to Edward, I felt vulnerable. I knew I would feel better if he was with me, stroking my hair, telling me it was going to be alright. And I knew he could, in a split second, cover the distance from where he stood at the corner of the park to where I was, but he still seemed far away.

Alice was so tiny, it didn't seem like she was much of a bodyguard, although I had seen her in action when Jasper was teaching everyone how to fight newborns. Well, I hadn't actually SEEN her in action. She was much too fast to see, but considering that Jasper couldn't lay a finger on her if she didn't want him to, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with, despite appearances.

Again, I wasn't being rational, but it was hard to think too clearly when there was an invisible vampire out there debating whether or not to hunt you down and drink your blood.

Watching Edward, I had to smirk. He was trying to look casual and nonchalant, but even from a distance I could see he was on high alert. Always my faithful protector… As annoying as it could be at times, I loved him for it.

When we were in position, Alice texted Jasper to tell him we were ready. Edward gave us a tiny nod, indicating he'd heard the message, too. I decided to stay out of the texting, since my phone was old-school and didn't even have a keyboard. Not that it mattered, because I couldn't have kept up with their flying fingers even with the best technology money could buy.

'_I hear him_,' Edward texted. '_He's nearby.'_

Jasper added, '_He's definitely here. I easily picked up a vampire's scent from this end of the park. It's almost like he left it there for us on purpose.' _

'_He left it for Bree, obviously_,' Edward wrote, scorn thick in his words.

As all this was going on, I was busy pointing out people to Alice to determine who she could or couldn't see. We didn't know if I'd be able to see him or not, but I was our best chance. It felt good to be useful for once as something other than 'the one with the tasty blood everybody can't wait to drink.'

Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in the park for an overcast day. It was a little cold, but wasn't raining, so maybe that was the best people could hope for, sort of like it was in Forks.

"Guy in a black overcoat," I said, pointing. Alice nodded that she saw him. "Guy sitting on that park bench over there, reading the paper." Alice nodded again. After about 10 more descriptions, I said, "Guy in gray sweater, sitting by the fountain, reading a book."

Alice looked where I was pointing. "I don't see him," she said as she narrowed her eyes, like that would make them work better.

"He's blonde, maybe 20, face buried in a book?" I further described.

"Nope," she said as she started texting. '_Bella spotted him. Sitting at the fountain about 50 feet in front of you, E.'_

'_OK, here goes nothing_,' Edward wrote.

Just as Edward began to speak, Alice started jumping up and down with panic. I'm sure she saw what was about to happen, but it was too late to stop it. I watched as Edward's lips moved and knew he was delivering his line: "Fred, I have a message for you from Bree."

In an instant, everyone in a half block radius doubled over. The humans were throwing up, and Edward, Jasper, and Alice were struggling unsuccessfully to stay upright. I didn't know what to do as I realized this was most definitely not at all part of the plan.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I had to keep my wits about me or I would give away our position. I was on my own now, at least until Fred let go of his hold on the others. Not wanting to stand out, I dropped down near a collapsed Alice, keeping a line of sight to Fred and Edward. I didn't know what Fred would do, but at the moment he remained by the fountain, scanning the park, crouched in an attack position.

As I quickly surveyed the scene, I noticed that the people closest to Fred were barely moving. They were just curled up into the fetal position and continuously vomiting. The ones past Edward and Jasper were writhing around a bit, and as I looked further from Fred's location, more people were rolling around and some were on their feet as they lost the contents of their stomachs.

I could see Fred was still trying to find his would-be attacker. It was clear he knew at least one vampire was in the park, but since he made no movement toward either Edward or Jasper, I got the feeling he didn't know who in the crowd had spoken, so he was being especially cautious. For the time being, he stayed by the fountain looking both terrified and terrifying.

As I became aware of the people around me, my senses were assaulted by the sights, sounds, and especially smells of people getting sick. I'd never had a strong stomach, and this was pushing the limits of my self control. 'Concentrate, Bella,' I told myself. 'Edward needs you.'

Turning my attention to Alice, I held her tiny hand, trying to comfort both her and me at the same time. As scared and nervous as I was, she looked doubly so. I was supposed to be the frail girl, but at that moment, Alice had taken my role; she was not accustomed to it, having always been the one who worried more about the latest design trend than being in danger. It was odd to see how the tables had turned so quickly.

When I peeked up again, Fred was gone. I started to panic. "Alice! Fred moved! I can't find him!" I whispered furiously.

With great difficulty, Alice quietly said, "Keep looking. He must be here or I wouldn't still be on the ground." Obviously. Why hadn't I thought of that?

"OK," I began searching again. It took a few moments, but I knew he had to be there. "OK. He's over by the lamppost, where it says No Littering." I pointed as discretely as possible.

Either Edward heard me or Alice's thoughts, because he managed to move his head to look in the direction of the lamppost. I wished he hadn't.

The next thing I knew, everyone I could see was on the ground, humans vomiting everywhere. The hockey players were mere heaps of flesh and shoulder pads writhing around on the ice, groaning in what appeared to be intense pain. Bodies littered the park.

Apparently this wave of nausea was much stronger than the first. I was thankful that I didn't experience it because it looked awful, and I was thankful that I hadn't eaten recently because I would no doubt have been joining the sick-fest, albeit for different reasons.

I laid flat on my stomach near Alice, covering my nose with my sleeve. I watched in horror as Fred purposefully strode over to Edward, grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him back to the fountain.

My panic grew immensely. 'Keep it together, Bella,' I repeated to myself like a mantra. I was the only coherent person in the vicinity and an angry vampire was holding my beloved. I wasn't sure what I could do about it, terrified that Fred might kill all of us if I screamed the way I wanted to at that moment. That would be my Plan B. If it looked like Fred was going to hurt Edward, I would yell out to him. Now I just needed a Plan A.

I carefully reached over to grab Alice's phone. '_PLS STOP'_ I typed as fast as humanly possible, sending the message to Edward's phone. I saw Fred retrieve it from Edward's pocket.

Alice's phone buzzed.

'_Why are you yellow eyes here and what do you want with me?'_ I read.

That couldn't be a good sign. This was most assuredly not part of the plan either, but I decided it was time to wing it. _ '2 tlk 2 U. Bree snt_.'

Even for text typing, mine was atrocious. I hoped Fred understood the cryptic messages I was feverishly sending.

'_Why isn't she here? What happened to her?'_

'_Killed. She wnt 2 warn U,'_ I sent back.

'_Warn me about what?'_

'_Drk clks'_ I wrote, using the only name he might know for the Volturi.

'_Dark clocks?' _he wrote back.

'_Cloaks'_ I typed in return, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. How would a dark clock kill someone?

'_Are you with them?' _

'_NO!_' I hoped perhaps capitalizing and exclamation points might mean something extra to a newborn vampire.

'_How do I know you're not working for Riley? Or her?' _

I had to assume by 'her' he meant Victoria. Could he mean Bree for some reason? Would Bree and Riley be working together? I didn't think so and hoped my instincts were right._ 'Her & Rly dead_,' I typed.

'_You're not a dark cloak, not with Riley, not with her, and you're clearly not one of us. You type too slow. Who are you?'_

I didn't know how to answer that question. '_Pls tlk. Wll expln'_

'_You can start explaining NOW!' _he wrote back. Apparently he knew about the use of caps and exclamations.

'_2 mch 2 tell. Wnt 2 b frnds'_ I wrote. I couldn't even begin to tell the whole story over the phone like this.

'_Friends? Riley said you were our enemies. My coven was supposed to kill yours.'_

'_Not cvn not n.m.e. Fmly.' _This was getting bad. Why did I have to be the one typing to him? I could barely decipher my own abbreviations.

'_And my coven?'_

I froze. How would he react to the truth? He had left them, so maybe he wasn't attached, but then again, he'd just called them his coven. I cringed as I typed, '_Dead.'_

I saw him nod._ And Diego?_ he asked.

"_Ded? Rly kill?"_ My words were getting choppier and my sentences brief as I tried to tell him as much as I could as quickly as possible. I didn't know how long he would listen to me or what he might do while he still had Edward incapacitated.

'_How do I know you didn't kill Bree and now you're here to kill me, too?'_

I had to think about this answer carefully. How could I prove our intentions to him? I really couldn't, especially while texting… badly. _ 'U dnt. Bree say U frnd. Trust' _

'_TRUST? How can you even suggest that?' _Fred wrote as he started pacing.

'_Yes trst. Pls tlk.'_

Even from my vantage point, I could tell he was thinking about it. His brow was furrowed as he widened his path.

'_Pacing mk me nrvs,'_ I wrote, hoping he would settle down. It appeared to actually have the opposite effect as he stopped pacing and moved back into his crouch.

'_How can you see me?' _he demanded.

'_Shield,'_ I answered.

'_But you're not one of us?'_

'_No,'_ I answered tentatively.

'_Human?'_ he asked.

'_4 now' _

'_No threat then.'_ I saw him laugh. That angered me, but of course he was right. _'Are you the yellow eyes' pet?'_

'_NO! Not pet.' _

'_Touchy subject? If not pet, then what? Snack?'_

'_NO!' _I retorted.

'_Are you the human girl with the delicious-smelling red shirt?'_ he asked.

'_Do U wnt Bree msg or no?'_ I asked, a shiver running through my body as I tried to remain calm and change the subject. He was making me angry and scared now and I wasn't about to confirm his suspicions regarding my identity.

In the next second, three things happened. Edward and Jasper were holding Fred on the ground, I felt a very strong calming wave, and Alice had a lock on my wrist as she started pulling me toward the stairs

We had descended a few steps by the time my brain caught up to my body. "Hold on!" I shouted as I stopped dead in my tracks. "What just happened here?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Right now, we have to get down there," she responded, urging me to move.

"Down there?" I asked incredulously. "You mean where Fred is? Fred who can knock all of you out with a single thought? Fred who wants to eat me?"

"It's all under control now. You don't think Edward would want you to come down if it wasn't safe, do you?"

I shook my head, not in answer, but in confusion. "Are you sure?" I asked, wondering if perhaps Fred had the ability to control Alice's mind. Before I could ask, she answered.

"No, he can't. It's perfectly safe now. You'll see. Let's go," Alice ordered.

Despite my reservations, I really had no choice but to comply. We made our way down the stairs and out the back exit. Fortunately, Alice had a good hold on me because my knees were wobbling as we crossed the park to the fountain.


	5. Chapter 5

Finding Fred

Chapter 5 – The Chat

A/N: Please review! I would love to hear both what you like and/or don't like about my writing, story, character development, etc.

Playing in the world of Twilight that (sadly) I don't own…

"The disease control people are coming and they're going to quarantine this park," Alice explained as we got closer to Edward, Jasper, and Fred. "Lots of people called 911 from the edges of the barf zone. We need to move."

I could see that the humans on the outskirts of the 'barf zone' (as Alice so delicately described it) were starting to recover; they struggled to get up and get away. I was trying not to step in what they'd left behind. It was, by far, the most disgusting thing I'd ever witnessed.

Alice walked right up to Fred and extended her hand in greeting. I guess I wasn't the only one who could see him now. "What an interesting smell you've created here! My name is Alice, and this is my husband, Jasper, and my brother, Edward. This is Bella. She and Edward are engaged to be married, so she is neither a pet, nor a snack, and if you value your life, you won't refer to her as either of those things anymore."

Fred's mouth dropped open. "But… she's human. How…?"

"We don't feed from humans," Jasper explained. "But we'll have to carry on this little conversation someplace else. You hear all them sirens?"

"The Botanical Gardens. Good choice, Fred. We can get there easily," Alice responded to an unspoken conversation. "Bella and I have to get the car, and we're barely going to make it as it is, so we'll meet you over there. And don't start talking without me. I'll know if you do!" she said, tapping on her temple.

"How…?" Fred trailed off.

"Close your mouth, son. You're gonna catch flies," Jasper laughed as he and Edward flanked Fred and started the mile or so trek to the gardens. Alice and I headed back to the car.

"You're going to have to hurry a little if we're going to make it before the car gets trapped inside the barricades," Alice lightly admonished me.

"Sorry, but I've had a bit of a rough day, you know," I huffed as I picked up the pace. "A rough few days, actually!"

"Yes, I know, and honestly, I'm not sure what we would have done if you hadn't been there today. I don't say this very often, but I literally didn't see that coming," Alice joked as we reached the car.

"But you knew I needed to be there…" I pondered aloud.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that, either. Usually I know things because I see them, but this was more like… intuition? Oh well… It worked out," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Once in the car, Alice pulled away from the curb just in the nick of time, which was such an 'Alice' thing to do. To her, getting out by two seconds or two hours was all the same. Sometimes I wondered if she liked to cut it close just for the sake of seeing how close she could come without actually getting herself into trouble. She could easily be described as an adrenaline junkie sans the actual adrenaline.

At the intersection in front of us, two fire engines and a giant disease control van passed with lights and sirens blaring. The police were, indeed, starting to put up barricades. Cutting it close was an understatement. To me, this was becoming a little too much like my whole James Bond fantasy.

It only took a couple of minutes before we pulled over and parked again. Edward was waiting.

"You left Jasper alone with him?" I asked abruptly.

"Hello to you, too," he mused, planting a small kiss on my lips.

"Ummm, Edward, I don't want to second-guess you here, but I saw Fred take all three of you out. I know Jasper has handled newborns before, but this seems entirely different."

"It's true that we didn't know the extent of Fred's gift, did we, Alice?" Edward chuckled.

"It's not my fault that he never decided to do that before! How was I supposed to know? My gift does have some limitations, dear brother."

"Apparently so. We learned a lot through that extremely horrible experience, however," Edward said, shuddering at the memory as he motioned for us to follow him. We walked toward a small equipment shed near some trees where I could see Jasper and Fred sitting on a bench. Jasper had his hand on Fred's shoulder and the closer we got, the more I could feel the calming waves emanating from him.

"Well, now that we're all here, we can talk openly," Edward began. "Fred, I know you're afraid, but if you control yourself, none of us will harm you in any way. Yes, I'm the mind-reader Riley told you about. Jasper here can read and manipulate emotions, and our little Alice sees the future. My Bella has some sort of mind shield that keeps me out of her head," he added, stroking my cheek lovingly. "And it appears your gift does not affect her, either."

Fred eyed Jasper carefully. "So, you're controlling me right now?"

"Yep, pretty much," Jasper answered, then turned to me to explain. "Fred has to get angry or scared or have some other strong emotion to send out that blast of nausea. We figured it out when he had us pinned."

"Yes, but the effects of his gift were so strong, Jasper couldn't do anything," Edward added. "It wasn't until he started thinking about your blood that he was distracted enough for Jasper to calm him down."

"Great," I half joked, "Another win for my tasty, tasty blood."

Fred looked at me with a combination of what seemed to be curiosity, awe, and hunger. "Seriously, Bella. May I call you Bella? Drinking your blood would be…"

Edward interrupted him with a very quiet, very menacing growl. "Remember what I said about controlling yourself? Thoughts like that are going to get you killed. Do not doubt me when I say I'll personally rip you limb from limb and start a vampire barbeque pit right here."

"I'm sorry, man. It's just that I… I don't get it. How can you be that close to her without taking even a little sample?" Fred asked earnestly.

"I won't say it's easy. Her scent is stronger to me than it probably is to you, but I love her and all her little human idiosyncrasies," he answered, burying his nose in my hair and drawing in a long, deep breath. "She's going to be one of us soon enough, alas, although then I'll love her and all her little vampire idiosyncrasies."

So help me I sighed like a teenybopper at a Jonas Brothers concert. So did Alice. That was one of the sweetest things he'd ever said aloud, and was especially heart-warming to me due to my fear of his rejection once I didn't have the heartbeat and the ability to blush, or sleep, or cry. Actually, he might not miss the crying so much, but definitely the blushing and sleeping part.

"Wow," Fred replied unbidden. "You really do love her, don't you. I wouldn't think that was possible if I didn't see it with my own eyes. So, she's your mate? None of us had mates, unless you count Bree and Diego, I suppose."

"I can tell you most assuredly that Bree thought of this Diego as her mate," Edward said, "But we never met him. From what I could gather, Riley and Victoria had already killed him before your coven attacked us."

"Victoria? Are you talking about _her_?" Fred asked.

Edward nodded, launching into the story of James, Victoria, and Laurent. He stopped just a few minutes in and turned to me. "Bella, dear, I know how much you hate it when we talk at our speed and I answer questions I hear in people's thoughts, but we're going to be here for hours otherwise. Would you mind…?"

My initial reaction was a mixture of anger and hurt, but my practical side overcame it quickly and I resigned myself to the fact that it made more sense. "Yeah, fine. I've heard it all before anyway. Well, actually, I've lived it all before. I really do hate being the odd-human-out… Although I appreciate you asking before just launching into it." I managed a little smile for Edward to reassure him it really was OK.

"Actually," I continued, thinking of something I could do while they talked in bee-buzz, "I'm getting pretty hungry. I can go grab some lunch while you chat."

"I'd feel better if Alice went with you. Is that OK?" Edward asked.

"Believe it or not, I've purchased food in a restaurant before. I don't think I need help," I snarked back.

"Isn't it fascinating how he makes that sound like a request when what he really means to say is I'm going with you?" Alice mused as she got to her feet. Edward glared at her, but she just smiled brightly. "Well, one of us should tell Bella the truth, don't you think, Mr. Overprotective?"

"It's OK," I cut in, ending what was likely to be a sibling squabble. "The company would be nice, even though I don't need a babysitter. Besides," I stood and bent over to whisper in Edward's ear, knowing they would all hear it. "How can Alice and I talk about you behind your back if you're sitting right here?" I turned on my heel and sauntered away, glancing back at Edward and winking.

I could hear both Jasper and Fred laughing as Alice and I made our way to the street in search of food.

A/N: This chapter was a little short. The last was a little long. Maybe like the Three Bears, the next one will be_ juuuuuust_ right.

Please take a minute to review. It's super encouraging! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The News

I still don't own any of these characters.

Alice and I found a place just down the street called Tim Horton's. I ordered a wrap, a small salad, and some coffee.

I decided it was time to use the bathroom, since it had been a while. I told Alice where I was going, assuming she would realize I wanted her to pick up my food when they called my number, so I was quite surprised when she followed me. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I need a mirror. I haven't touched up my makeup in hours!" she replied like this was a matter of utmost urgency. "Besides, I'm supposed to be babysitting you, right?"

"Alice! I've been able to use the bathroom alone since I was about three. I think I can manage it," I snorted in response.

"It's not that, Bella. It's just that I'd rather be standing right there to catch you when you slip on that soapy water by the sink. Otherwise, you're going to bust your lip open when you face-plant and having you bleeding right now would not be a good idea" Alice stated matter-of-factly. "Or better yet, I'll clean it up before you get there." She paused for a moment. "Yes, that will work just fine."

"Sometimes that's just creepy, you know?"

We both laughed as we went into the bathroom. I took my human moment and chatted with Alice, who was cleaning the floor with paper towels. "So, what do you think of Fred so far?" I asked. "At first I thought he was going to be trouble, but I really think he was just scared. I know I would be. Does he have control over his bloodlust? I noticed he didn't kill any of the humans in the park. Maybe he'd already fed recently. Ewww… Anyway, he's actually very polite when he's not talking about drinking my blood. Actually, even then he was polite! He seems a little overly fascinated by my relationship with Edward. Don't you think?"

It was then I realized I was in the middle of a monologue.

"Alice?"

She didn't answer.

"_Alice?_" She didn't answer.

I quickly finished and burst out of the bathroom stall to find Alice staring at the mirror. "What? What do you see?" I asked, giving her a little shake.

She turned toward me, looking confused and distant. "It's nothing… I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's nothing."

Then her eyes snapped to mine and she smiled like everything was just peachy. I knew better. Alice was never indecisive like this. Something was very clearly wrong.

"Wash your hands, Bella. We can't have you getting sick from poor hygiene," she said with a laugh. "Then let's get your food and get back over to the guys."

The more Alice tried to act nonchalant, the more I could see that something was bothering her. She was suddenly laughing a little too much, talking a little too fast. And she was clearly in a hurry.

The girl at the counter only gave me a half eye-roll when I asked to take my food to go. Alice was impatiently tugging at my sleeve. "Bella…" she whined for no apparent reason.

"Alice! What is wrong with you? What's going on?"

"Nothing! I'm just anxious to…you know… get back to Jasper."

I scoffed. "Don't lie to me! You always get on Edward about keeping me in the dark, and now it's OK for you to do the same? I don't think so."

A look of horror came over her face as her eyes slowly shifted to a TV mounted in the far corner of the restaurant. It wasn't until then that I noticed everyone's attention was on the TV. Someone turned up the volume.

The words 'Breaking News' scrolled along the bottom of the screen. "…Riley Park, the scene of what some are calling a flash epidemic. Hundreds of people have been quarantined. The cause of this massive outbreak of illness is undetermined, however there is fear that this may be an act of terrorism. Reporter Tim Weeks is live at the scene. Tim?"

I turned my head slightly toward Alice. "This is not good, is it…" It wasn't really a question.

"It's about to get worse," Alice said in a quiet monotone.

"Thanks, Gloria. I'm here at Riley Park where, just about an hour ago, hundreds of people became violently ill all at the same time. So far, no explanations have been offered. We haven't been able to confirm this yet, but some onlookers reported that people inside the Community Center were also affected, bringing into question whether the source of this strange sickness could be airborne or not. If not spread by air, the question becomes 'What caused these people to get sick all at once, whether they were in a building or outside?' So far, we've received no confirmation about the cause of this sickness, exactly how many became ill, or the condition of the victims. We should…"

"I'm sorry, Tim, but we have breaking footage from the scene. We'll come back to you as soon as we can. This amateur video was shot from a building near the park and e-mailed to us from within the quarantine zone. It's difficult to see, but if you look closely… Did you see that? Please run that again. The man at the bottom of your screen appears to be getting dragged away, but who or what is dragging him? Our technicians are working to clear up the picture for you, but for now, you can clearly see that he is being dragged by some unknown force."

The room erupted with loud speculation, people clearly afraid of what they'd just seen. I'm sure the look of horror on my face matched that of Alice's. She pulled her phone out just before it rang. "Carlisle… yes, I'm watching it, too."

"Number 14, order to go" the girl at the counter called out absentmindedly. I wasn't hungry anymore, but I grabbed the bag and coffee from her anyway. Alice tilted her head toward the door, indicating it was time to go.

"We're going back to Edward and Jasper now. If you see anything else on TV, call me. Tell Esme not to worry. We'll figure it out, OK? Bye," Alice finished up, talking at a human pace for my sake, I suppose.

I wanted to run back to Edward, but we couldn't afford to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. If there was one video, who knew how many more would surface. Would they be able to identify Edward? Or Fred and Jasper? Or…

Suddenly my stomach sank. Alice and I had walked through the park to where the guys were standing. If there was a video… Charlie.

I prayed to God that no clear videos would appear, and I cursed the high-tech industry in general for making my life miserable. And then I thought of something worse than Charlie finding out I had both lied to him, and that I was somehow involved in what was now international news: The Volturi.

"Precisely," Alice answered before I had a chance to voice my concerns. "We have to figure something out, and fast."

Edward greeted us with the same panicked look on his face as I'd seen from Alice. "I don't know either," he answered her unspoken question.

"OK, time out here," I demanded. "Most of us can't read each other's thoughts nor do we know the future. Spell it out so the rest of us know what's going on!"

"Sorry, guys. We forget sometimes," Alice apologized for both her and Edward. "Bella, when we were in the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of the Volturi coming here. I wasn't sure, but then I saw what was going to be on the news, and I realized I was right. All I know at the moment is that someone ordered their plane back to Seattle."

"What's a Volturi?" Fred asked.

"The ones Bree called the dark cloaks," Edward answered.

"Or dark clocks…" I teased from under my breath.

Edward looked at me disapprovingly. "Sorry!" I exclaimed, putting my hands up in a show of surrender, "But it was pretty funny. I know… I know… wrong time for jokes."

"It's not my fault your texting is so bad," Fred quipped, before turning serious again. "So, how do they fit into this? Are they're our enemy?"

Jasper, Alice, and Edward looked at each other, not sure how to answer.

"Technically, they're not," Jasper started hesitantly. "They're more like vampire government. They make and enforce the rules, and like many governments, they're somewhat corrupt. But they keep our kind in line. I mean, people have heard legends about vampires, but did you ever think they actually existed before you became one? We've been around for thousands of years and people still think we're a myth, the stuff of scary movies and books. That's because of their laws."

"So vampires have laws? Riley told us…"

"Riley didn't tell you everything, although you seem to have managed to figure some of it out for yourself," Edward explained. "The primary rule is to keep our kind a secret. The other rules basically reinforce this one. Like feeding discretely, not being out in the sun in public, and not letting humans know we exist…"

Fred gave me a curious glance. "But Bella knows. Do they know about her?"

"Yes, they do," I answered for myself. "Because I'm Edward's mate, they allowed me to live for now. I have an unspecified amount of time before I have to be changed or be… well, permanently silenced."

A hush fell over our little group as Edward slowly ran his hands up and down my arms. I wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself, but I suppose that mattered little.

"Well, Riley did tell us to feed carefully, not to draw attention to ourselves," Fred quietly broke the silence. "But he didn't explain why. He also told us we were basically gods among men, so most of the others didn't think they needed to follow Riley's stupid rules. They just used Seattle like their own personal all-you-can-eat buffet. Riley showed us newspapers about the killing sprees, screaming furiously that we needed to keep a low profile. We didn't know why we should bother. We didn't think anyone could stop us."

"The Volturi could stop you." Alice warned. "They watch for illegal vampire activity, like what was going on in Seattle, and they put a stop to it. Or at least that's the idea…" she trailed off, momentarily lost in thought. "Creating a newborn army is definitely illegal, which is why they were here. Oh, and don't ever create an immortal child. Trust me on that one."

"But Bree said there were only four of them. How could they defeat an army of 20 or more?" Fred asked innocently.

"Easily," Edward answered. "The main leader, Aro, collects gifted vampires for the Volturi guard. They have one who can inflict intense pain. I've experienced it firsthand, and let me tell you, it's not something you'd want to try. One can cut off all your senses completely, one can track, one can shield and so on. Oddly enough, most of these don't work on Bella. We don't know why, but part of the reason she was allowed to live was Aro's fascination over a human with such a strong, natural mental shield."

Fred was now grasping the gravity of our situation. "When will they be here? Can't we run?"

Edward shook his head. "It wouldn't do any good. They have Demetri, the best tracker on the planet. He would most definitely find us, and we don't want to raise suspicions by suddenly taking off into the middle of nowhere."

"What if…" I pondered aloud, "… we didn't run to the middle of nowhere. What if we just went back home?"

"And bring the Volturi back to Forks? Why would we do that?" Edward exclaimed.

"Well, we certainly don't want them coming here! One of them is going to retrace Fred's scent back to the newborn army's home base, and they'll know he was one of them. We don't want Fred to face the same fate as Bree, do we?" I shuddered at the thought.

"Awwww… now I'm REALLY sorry for thinking about eating you," Fred kidded. Edward growled. "Just joking around, man. Calm down!"

I rolled my eyes at Edward. "Nevermind him. He's just very protective."

"He should mind me," Edward muttered. "He's likely to lose a limb otherwise. More than that if I have reason to think he's serious."

"So cranky!" I reached over and messed up his already messed up hair. He growled again, baring his teeth as he grabbed my wrist and brought it up to his mouth. Then he smiled and started peppering my hand with kisses.

Fred's mouth was agape. "How do have that kind of control? Wow. Impressive."

"What can I say? I love her." Edward answered between kisses.

"OK, enough with the lovey dovey crap," Jasper interrupted. "We need to plan. I think Bella's on to something here. You know, I'm startin' to think you have a gift for strategy, little lady."

"Coming from you, that means a lot," I blushed.

"Here's what I'm thinking," Jasper continued. "We go home, have Carlisle call Aro and tell him this was all a big misunderstanding. Just a sightseeing trip gone awry. We found a young, gifted vampire with no sire and brought him home with us. We're teaching him about the law. He's sorry he caused a ruckus and even with the video coverage, nobody is ever gonna suspect vampires. So no laws have actually been broken. Everything's OK. All nice and friendly-like."

"Maybe they won't even investigate. Do you think that's possible?" I was trying to remain hopeful.

"If I know Aro, he's going to want to know as much as he can about Fred's gift. I don't think there's any way to get around that part. I mean, they're going to have questions after what they saw on the news," Edward surmised. "Anyone have other ideas about how to play this?"

"At least if we're in Forks, we'll have Sam and his friends as a backup plan, if we need to," said Alice.

Fred eyed her questioningly. "Who's Sam?"

A/N: Please take a minute to review. It's super encouraging! Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: The News

Nope, I still don't own any of these characters, just in case you were wondering.

So, it's been a while since I posted. Between the holidays and coordinating an office move, I've been swamped. I'll try to keep up in the future, although the Christmas season is already looking busier than I care to admit to myself.

Thanks for reading!

****….****

The four of us looked at each other with apprehension clear in our expressions. I didn't need to be a mind-reader to know we were all thinking the same thing: telling Fred about the wolves would be a bad idea. The Volturi didn't know about them and for everyone's sake, it was best if it stayed that way.

"What?" Fred asked. "What aren't you telling me?"

"About Sam…" Jasper started. "Well, let's just say he's an ally, but not necessarily a willing one. It's a long story, and frankly, it's on a need-to-know basis. Right now, well… you just don't really need to know. For now, we'll simply call Sam a 'friend,'" he emphasized by making little quotation marks in the air.

"Is he a vampire?" Fred asked.

Jasper rolled his eyes, but didn't answer, clearly conveying there was no more to be said on the subject. I could see that Fred wanted to ask follow-up questions, but Jasper was making it pretty clear he wasn't going to budge. It reminded me that Jasper could be sort of scary when he wanted to be.

Edward flipped open his phone to call Carlisle. "We're coming home." He paused while Carlisle spoke. Everyone could hear his answer except me, which was aggravating to say the least. I was practically ready to become a vampire just so I could listen in on the conversations!

"We'll talk when we get there. It'll only be a few hours. Just have everyone home, OK?"

Edward was about to end the call when I tugged on his sleeve, motioning for him to give me the phone.

"Carlisle, it's Bella. How's Jacob doing?"

"He's going to be fine. I just came from his house, actually. He's in some amount of pain, although if you heard it from him, you'd think he was dying a cruel and unusual death," he chuckled.

"So he's awake?"

"You could say that," he chuckled some more. "I don't think I've ever had a patient complain so much or yell obscenities so loudly in all my years of practice, and that's saying a lot. But, as you know, he heals fast. Don't worry, OK? If I may say so myself, he's in good hands."

"Yeah, he couldn't ask for a better doctor, although I'm sure you're not his first choice, all things considered."

"That's true. But he really didn't have much in the way of options. Billy was grateful, even if he wasn't happy about the circumstances," Carlisle answered.

"I'll bet. Thank you for taking such good care of him, Carlisle. I know Jake can be a pain, but he really is a good person under that gruff exterior… I can't say his bark is worse than his bite, but at least he barks _more_ than he bites, so that's something," I quipped.

Everyone laughed except Edward and Fred. Fred looked completely bewildered and Edward looked angry, almost hurt. I couldn't tell what exactly was going on in his head, but it made me feel anxious. He held out his hand for the phone.

"Well, looks like Edward wants to talk to you again. See you soon!" I sounded much too chipper for the situation, a nervous reaction to Edward's intense, yet wounded expression.

"Carlisle, you need to tell Sam that we're bringing someone home with us, and we'll be responsible for him… If we can keep Jane and company from making a return visit, I don't see any point in warning him about the Volturi yet. No need to raise his hackles." Edward smiled grimly at his own jest. "We should be there in a couple of hours…. OK… Bye."

Edward sighed significantly. "Well, let's get back to the car. I'll call the ferry captain and arrange for him to take us back. "

Alice timidly raised her hand, like she wasn't sure she had the right answer to a math problem. Edward closed his phone as he nodded her direction. "We can't go back the way we came," she hesitantly offered.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I just checked, and he can't make it back today. He's in Port Angeles trying to figure out why his boat motor is smoking."

"And here I thought _my_ gift was cool," Fred interjected, causing Alice to flash him a coy smile.

"We can't cross the border in the car," I thought aloud. "We didn't exactly come here legally, and I'm sure Fred doesn't even have ID."

"We could rent a small plane, although it might be hard to find someone on a moment's notice who would take illegal passengers…" Jasper trailed off.

"I'm not leaving my car here," Edward announced, ever-possessive of his vehicle. I thought he'd rather leave one of us behind than his precious car, although telling him that wouldn't go over so well. I decided it was best not to make that particular joke at his expense. This time.

"Who cares about the stupid car? We could come back and get it later. You're such a baby about your stupid car." Of course Alice would go where others feared to tread.

"Leave my car out of this," Edward said tersely.

As they argued, I started thinking. We could go to the border, cross on foot, then Edward could cross over legally, get his car, and come back. But that would take a while…. Then it hit me.

"Why can't we just drive down close to the border and you guys can carry the car until we're on the other side? Then we can take the Anacortes Ferry back to Port Angeles."

All of them stopped talking and turned to stare at me like I'd suddenly grown another head.

"Brilliant!" Jasper gave me a wink, and I had to admit, his confidence had given me an extra boost of courage to trust my ability to strategize. Or maybe he just literally gave me an extra boost of courage. Either way, I was on a roll.

Edward stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing the top of my head. "It's clear I owe you an apology. I'm sorry I ever doubted that you belonged on this trip. If we'd come up here that way, it would have saved us a couple of hours and I wouldn't have had to pay that ferry captain such a ridiculous amount of money to smuggle us over the border."

Alice rolled her eyes and I laughed. As much as I hated being the center of attention, I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with a creative solution when nobody else had.

We returned to the car, Fred sitting in the back seat with Alice and Jasper. Edward ensured that Fred was sitting behind him, as far away from me as possible.

"I'm not going to hurt her, OK?" Fred said, becoming annoyed with Edward's overprotective nature. "I'll admit her blood smells… well, incredible, but she's your mate. I know if I even looked at her like she could be my next meal, I'd be dead before I even finished the thought. I'm alive because I'm smart, OK?"

His huffy tone suddenly became melancholy, his face pained. "Bree was smart, too…"

"Yes, she was, but even she could barely keep herself from lunging at Bella," Edward tried to gently explain. "Even with seven of us there to stop her. You'll have to excuse me for not trusting your self-control, although I'll admit you are much more in control of yourself than most newborns."

I heard the conversation, but my mind couldn't help but wander back to Bree – thrashing and snarling, red irises with black pupils honed in on me. Knowing that she had just found out about her mate being killed explained at least some of the hopelessness in her eyes as she dug her fingers into the frozen ground. I had mistaken it for simple bloodlust… that vacant stare more terrifying than anything else about her.

In a strange way, this information comforted me. My biggest fear about being a newborn was played out as I watched Bree struggling to keep her sanity in my presence, blinded by the scent of blood almost to the point of losing her life at the hands of my protectors. But she had nothing to live for, whereas I did. As sad and tragic as that was, I had to believe my experience could be completely different from hers.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Edward said softly, bringing me back to the present.

"Oh, it's nothing," I waved him off. "Not even worth a penny."

"Every thought of yours is priceless to me," he whispered.

Jasper made gagging noises, causing all of us to laugh. Edward wasn't amused.

"Oh, come on, that was funny," I teased him. "That was one of the cheesiest things you've ever said, but it was also very, very sweet." I lifted his hand to my lips and gave his knuckles a few soft kisses before he finally managed a smile.

It didn't take long before we were driving through Peace Arch Park. Everything around us was called "Peace" something or other. Sort of like everything around Disney World was something "World": Coffee World, Dry Cleaning World, T-Shirt World… you name it. It reminded me of the summer vacation Renee and I had taken when I was in 7th grade. We had made a game of spotting all the businesses with "World" in their name.

"Over there," Alice said, pointing to a small grove of trees.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked. "I hear people nearby."

"Why do you bother questioning her, man?" Jasper asked, sounding a little put out. "You know she's right."

"She could be wrong one of these times," Edward said smugly. "She's not always right."

"She's always right about stuff like this and you know it," Jasper retorted.

"If Alice says that's the spot, that's the spot," Fred agreed. "Even I've figured that out."

"Thank you, Fred. It's nice to have _someone_ supporting me. Maybe you could be my new and improved brother," she joked, sticking her tongue out at Edward.

"Very mature, Alice. And here I thought Fred was the newborn in the group," Edward quipped.

"Hey, no picking on the new guy," Fred said with a laugh as we parked and got out of the car to survey the lay of the land.

The picnic areas were empty and only one other car shared the lot with us. I didn't see anybody, but Edward said there was a small group having a picnic in the pergola on the other side of the trees. Alice assured us they would never know we were there.

Edward opened the driver's side door for me and I took my seat as the four vampires lifted the car just enough to easily clear the ground beneath. If someone was watching, it might appear they were just walking alongside the car as I drove. Once we got to the trees, Edward and Alice did another round of checks, making sure the path was clear.

"OK, let's run, but not too fast," Edward instructed. "I want my car in one piece when this is over. Bella, you should put on your seatbelt. I really want YOU in one piece when this is over!"

On some invisible cue, the four of them took off for the border. The ride was actually smoother than driving on the road. I felt a bit like I was floating, which is suppose I was, in a way. It was an odd sensation, but sort of fun. I knew any one of them could have carried the car by themselves, and I chuckled at the image of a passerby doing a double-take upon seeing tiny little Alice running around balancing a car over her head.

We cleared some downed trees and went soaring over a tall fence, which took my breath away. Of course, I was fine and even the seatbelt was completely unnecessary, but the whole flying car experience outside the confines of a theme park was odd, to say the least.

We got to the US side of Peace Arch Park and paused again to check for onlookers before breaking away from the treeline and heading for the road. From my vantage point, I could see a vehicle coming our direction. "Car!" I yelled in a panic.

"It'll be OK, Bella. Don't worry," Alice said, as a wave of calm overtook my senses.

"Thanks, Jasper," I called out.

"Don't mention it, darlin'," he called back.

A few yards from the pavement, the Volvo was gingerly placed on a patch of gravel. Edward opened the door, unbuckled my seatbelt, and whisked me to the hood of the car, sitting me down before I even registered what was happening. He stood close to me, holding my hips to keep me from falling off the car while I gathered my senses.

"Try to look natural," he whispered as a truck with a light bar on the roof and the words "US Customs and Border Patrol" on the door pulled up next to us.

"Was this part of the plan?" I whispered to Edward.

"Alice says it will be OK, but this guy is wondering what we're doing here."

"So, what are you kids doing here?" the officer asked.

I gave Edward a knowing smirk. "I thought Alice was the one who reads the future."

Edward flashed me one of his dazzling grins before becoming all business. "Actually, sir, we were just getting ready to leave. Is there a problem?"

"You tell me, son. Is this your car?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Can I get you the registration and proof of insurance? And would you like to see my driver's license?"

"Well, yes. That would be helpful." As the officer waited for Edward to produce the needed documents, he gave the car a good once over. "I see you don't have a park pass. How did you get in here without a pass?"

"I told you we had to keep that paper!" Alice shouted from the opposite side of the car. "But noooooo… you know more than I do about everything, don't you! Well, now look. We're going to get in trouble and dad is going to ground us all because you didn't want any 'trash' in your precious car."

Alice's pout alone could have won her an Oscar. The only thing missing was an actual tear, but I think the officer was too drawn in by the poor-little-waif-girl-with-the-big-mean-brother act to notice.

Edward looked down at the ground sheepishly and kicked at the gravel a little. "She's right, officer. The person at the gate, Holly I believe was her name, she told me to display the pass in the window." I was sure he plucked the name from the officer's mind.

"So why isn't it in the window?"

"I guess it's dumb, but I figured since we were in the park already, we didn't really need the pass. I mean, how else could we have gotten in here?"

I decided to join in the play. "Edward is a bit… finicky about his things, officer. He's actually in therapy for OCD. He's doing much better now that he's on medication. Isn't that right, dear."

Jasper coughed loudly, trying to cover his laughter.

"He doesn't like to talk about it," I continued. "I suppose I'm violating his HPPA rights by telling you all of this. You don't arrest people for HPPA violations, do you?"

"Ummm… no ma'am. Just people crossing the border illegally. Speaking of which, I'm going to need to see some ID from the other three of you."

"Three?" Edward asked, looking around the car.

"Yes, three," he said, pointing to Alice, Jasper, and me, and giving Edward a puzzled look. "Unless you're saying there's someone else…?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Edward said hesitantly, trying to covertly look for Fred. I was a terrible liar, but Edward was making me look like an expert. "It's just that there are four of us altogether, but you already checked my ID, so you probably weren't going to check it again…" he trailed off.

The officer furrowed his brow and slowly shook his head as he went back to his truck to run our IDs. And here Edward had told ME to try and act natural!

I glanced over to Fred, realizing he had made himself invisible to everyone else. We made eye contact and I nodded ever so slightly, hopefully conveying to him that he should stay hidden.

Fred, on the other hand, decided it was time to play.

****….****

Please review, and IF I don't get another chapter out before Christmas, hope you have the best holiday season ever! (Also, please forgive me… ) :-)


	8. Chapter 8

I'm sorry for the delay, but… well, my mom passed away the day after Christmas and writing just hasn't been a priority, not to mention any creativity I may have had ran completely dry. Things are evening out slowly, and I decided it was time to try to write another chapter. Here goes:

.-.

Chapter 8

My eyes widened when Fred sauntered over toward the patrol truck. I wasn't sure what he was going to do. We really didn't know him very well, and while he seemed to have a good amount of control for a newborn, he was still an unknown quantity.

I wasn't sure what we would do if he decided it was lunch time, and I really wasn't sure he understood the ramifications of killing a police officer. Certainly Fred had to realize Officer Mitchell (I'd finally caught his name when he was taking my ID from me) had called in our license numbers and Edward's plates.

Unbidden thoughts of Bree once again haunted my mind. Bloodlust was indeed a powerful force, and could definitely be more powerful than reason. Would Fred lose himself to it? I had to hope Alice would see something like that coming, or that Edward would read it in his mind before he did anything we would all seriously regret. Flashes of Charlie's face replaced the image of Bree… the idea of me being even sort-of-almost-somewhat-kinda-remotely involved in the killing of an officer… I couldn't even think about it.

I continued to gape as Fred silently slid into the cab of the patrol truck.

"Well, your IDs check out. Your parents do know where you are, right," Officer Mitchell stated rather than asked.

"Yes," Alice answered quickly. "We were going to go shopping in Vancouver, but then we heard on the radio about all those people getting sick, so we decided not to go."

"That's been all over the news. I think you kids were wise to stay away. I don't think they figured out what hap…" Officer Mitchell was abruptly interrupted by his truck's horn honking. Turning on his heel, hand on his weapon, moving faster than I expected he could, he found only his seemingly empty pickup.

"What in blazes?" he muttered as he slowly approached the vehicle. As suddenly as it had started, the noise stopped. Only I had seen Fred playing with the horn, grinning like a fool, which was probably appropriate considering how he was acting.

Officer Mitchell rubbed his neck, much in the same way Charlie did. I couldn't help but think maybe it was something they taught at the academy – Looking Perplexed: 101.

"Well, that was odd," the officer said as much to himself as to us. "Anyway, I hate to do this, since you seem like pretty nice kids, but there is a fine for being in the park without a pass. Rules are rul…" This time, simultaneously, the windshield wipers started at high speed, washer fluid spraying on full blast; the hazard lights blink flashed; the overhead light bar lit up like Christmas; very loud emergency sirens began to scream; the radio started blaring some sort of techno pop crap that I hate, and to top it all off, the passenger side door opened and shut.

I felt Jasper's calming waves as he attempted to regain control of Fred, but the problem was, Fred was already calm as could be.

"OK, who's doing that?" Officer Mitchell hissed, this time with his weapon drawn. He looked spooked, and I started to feel sorry for him.

"Well, sir, looks like maybe you got yourself an electrical problem here," Jasper said smoothly as he stepped toward the vehicle. "You should probably have someone take a look at it. Once you start having electrical problems, well, that's just like invitin' the fox into the henhouse."

Officer Mitchell looked at him, puzzled. I wasn't sure if he was weighing Jasper's diagnosis of his truck or trying to understand his strange metaphor, but he mumbled something that sounded like, "Henhouse…" Of course, nothing explained the passenger door opening and closing, but I wasn't about to point that out to him.

After gingerly climbing into the cab of his truck, looking around suspiciously as if the vehicle was going to swallow him whole, Officer Mitchell told us to follow him. We all piled into the Volvo, including Fred, and followed as we were told.

"What in the world were you doing out there, Fred? Were you trying to get us in trouble? We're in a fairly serious situation right now and this really isn't a time for games!" Edward all but shouted.

"Hey, chill out. He was taking forever, so I just gave him some incentive to get moving, that's all," Fred replied nonchalantly. "You're just lucky I didn't make him throw up."

"YOU'RE just lucky you didn't make him throw up!" Edward spat. "What are you? 12? What if we'd been detained? The Volturi are on their way to find you and if you want to live, you might want to stop with the tomfoolery."

"What are you? 112? Who says tomfoolery?" Fred could barely contain his laughter.

"I have half a mind to just turn you over to the Volturi, wrapped in ribbon with a bow on top!" Edward snapped.

"Awww, come on! I'm just having a little fun. Loosen up, Eddie," Fred teased.

"My name is EDWARD!" he shouted with a threatening growl. Fred threw his hands up in surrender, backing away from Edward as much as possible. I thought he might go right through the backseat into the trunk, which would have been the last straw. Damaging Edward's car on top of calling him 'Eddie' would have most likely been the end of poor, silly Fred.

"OK, we should all just try to calm down," I stepped in, attempting to mediate. "Edward, I understand why you're angry, but nothing really happened. We're on our way out, so everything is OK. And Fred, I'm guessing you were a frat boy before you were changed. Am I right?"

"I wanted to be. Never made it to college, though…"

I realized immediately that I'd touched on a sore subject, so I decided to drop it as we pulled in front of the ranger station. Edward hopped out and came around to open my door. I didn't understand why until he glanced at Fred and then I realized he didn't want to leave me in the car with him, despite Alice and Jasper being there.

A woman named Marie processed our paperwork, albeit about as slowly as a human could move and still be considered alive.

"$64!" I exclaimed as she handed us the bill. "That's highway robbery!"

Edward gently took my hand, stroking it soothingly. "Sweetheart, it's a small price to pay to get us back on the road and headed home, don't you think?"

Begrudgingly, I nodded, although I did give Marie-the-Human-Sloth a nasty glare before turning to leave.

Officer Mitchell was waiting for us outside with another man. "Mr. Cullen, I have a little favor to ask of you and Miss Swan. I told our fleet mechanic here what happened with my truck and he thinks I've gone plumb outta my mind. You saw it. Tell him."

"Oh, yes," I jumped in eagerly. "It was almost like there was some sort of invisible person turning everything on and off. But of course, that couldn't really happen. It must be something in the electrical system..." I squeezed Edward's hand.

"See?" Officer Mitchell addressed the mechanic. "Just like I said. I told you I wasn't crazy. Well, you kids have a safe trip home, and if you come back to see us, make sure you keep your park pass in the window."

"Yes, sir, and good luck with your truck. Those 'electrical problems,'" Edward said making little quote signs in the air, "can be pretty annoying. Sometimes you just want to take a sledgehammer to them. Trust me, I know." I grinned brightly, enjoying his double entendre.

We got back in the car and waved as we slowly drove toward the park exit. Fred was waving exaggeratedly and I knew he was allowing himself to be seen. Officer Mitchell just stared, mouth hanging open, eyes bulged, trying to process the sight of a fifth person suddenly in our car. At first I thought he might try to stop us, but then I realized he was probably too shocked because he didn't move at all. He was also probably rethinking his comment about not being crazy. I imagined the poor man would be taking some much needed vacation time after his run-in with the Cullens and friends.

.-.

I very much appreciate your reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter up more quickly…


	9. Chapter 9

I've been trying to post this for at least a week. Trying something a little different tonight. It's frustrating because it's been a long time, and this just makes it longer!

Stephenie Meyers' characters… you know the drill.

Chapter 9

The ride to Anacortes was quiet. Edward was still a little cranky, but we held hands as he drove at his normal (meaning maniacal) speed toward the little harbor town. I had to admit I was getting accustomed to 90+ mph, although I still did a little side-seat driving from time to time, much to his chagrin.

I loved my truck, but sometimes it seemed like I could almost get out and walk faster. Edward had said the same thing many times, but of course he actually could.

"Carlisle for you, Edward," Alice announced.

"Thank you, operator. Why don't you just save us all the trouble and tell me why he'll be calling?" replied a snarky Edward just before his phone beeped.

True to Alice's ladylike sensibilities, she promptly stuck out her tongue at her beloved brother.

"Carlisle," Edward said in a business-like monotone. He listened for a few seconds, responded in bee buzz for a few seconds, but then finally caught my if-looks-could-kill glare.

"Ummm… Carlisle? Let me put you on speaker so Bella can hear the conversation," Edward said wisely.

"Bella, glad you're listening. We all need to be on the same page," Carlisle said by way of welcoming me. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Aro is recalling Jane and company back to Italy."

I gulped. That was great news, which made me think the bad news was going to be really bad. "Do I even want to know the bad news?" I asked with trepidation.

"Probably not. The bad news is, Aro is merely regrouping and is intent on having a face-to-face meeting with Fred," Carlisle said through a long exhale. "He's very interested in Fred's gift."

"He wants Fred to go to Italy?" I asked, alarmed.

"Yes."

"Is that part of the good news or the bad?" I asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Carlisle answered. "Aro would never admit it, of course, but I'm convinced he is afraid of what Fred can do. He wants me to study Fred's abilities and give him a full report before the meeting."

"Coward," Edward spat out. "He just wants to know which of his guard to have on hand to give him the best advantage."

"That's correct," Carlisle agreed. "Aro isn't stupid. He did the same thing when he brought in Jane and Alec. Either of them could have incapacitated him, his brothers, and his guard. He had to be assured they were loyal and most of all, controllable before he allowed them in his presence. As much as I hate to admit it, if I were in his position, I'd probably do the same, and so would you, son."

Edward scowled, mostly because he knew Carlisle was right.

"I'll have the family together when you get home. I suppose you don't need to rush now, but I would appreciate it if you came back as soon as possible so we can begin strategizing."

"Will everyone just hold on here? Excuse me for interrupting while you all plan my future for me, but don't I have any say in the matter?" Fred asked indignantly. "You're all talking about me like I'm your property or something. I may be a newbie compared to all of you, but I still have a will of my own. What if I don't want to go to Italy and be a lab rat for this Aro guy?"

"You make a very good point, Fred, and I'm sorry for assuming we know what's best for you," Carlisle gently replied. "I don't know if you've heard much of my history, but I spent many years with the Volturi, so I tend to presume I need to come to the rescue whenever they are involved. Forgive me."

"I'm not saying I don't want your help, because I really do. I'm totally out of my element here," Fred admitted. "I'd just like to know that I'll be making decisions for myself. I don't want anything thinking they're going to deliver me to these Volturi with a big red bow on my head." He gave Edward a pointed look, reminding him of his words from the park.

"No, of course not," Carlisle said. "We'll give you our best advice based on what we know, but in the end, it will be your call. All of you just get back here and we'll figure it out from there. See you soon."

After that phone call, nobody really had much to say. We eventually fell into small talk about various facets of our lives, but if the others were like me, the looming threat of the Volturi was not far from anyone's mind.

We boarded the last ferry of the day in the late afternoon. Alice and Jasper stayed in the car with Fred, keeping him out of trouble with so many humans on board, while Edward and I went up to the large passenger deck.

"You didn't tell Fred about Aro's ability, did you…" I said more than asked.

"Honestly, it didn't come up earlier, but as Carlisle was talking, Jasper thought to me that we should keep that detail to ourselves for the time being."

"Why?"

"Bella, Fred is anxious enough as it is. Jasper's trying to keep him calm without making the rest of us go catatonic, and I've been listening to him consider making a run for it rather than coming back to Forks with us."

I pondered this information for a moment. "If he did decide to run, would you try to stop him?"

"No, I wouldn't, but he would need to understand what he would be facing," Edward replied grimly. "I'm sure Aro wants to see if he would make a good addition to the guard, and he's not going to let Fred get away that easily. Vampires with aggressive powers like Fred's are hard to come by. Aro values them above all the rest. As much as he would like to add Alice and me to his ranks, he would likely trade both of us for someone who could make himself invisible and debilitate his enemies."

"Well, if he does want to run, I guess there's nothing we can do about it, but I did hear you telling him about Demetri, so at least he knows some of what he would be up against."

"There's a lot we can teach him, if he's willing to listen and learn. Sometimes I wonder if he understands the gravity of the situation," Edward mused, "I hope he doesn't have to learn it the hard way."

"You want to know what else I've been thinking?" I asked with a sly smile.

"I always want to know what you're thinking."

"I've been thinking it's been many hours since I've been kissed."

Edward grinned. "I think I can help." With that, he leaned in and planted a very chaste kiss on my cheek.

"Edward! You know that's not what I meant! I could get that kind of kiss from my mom. Is that how you want me to think of you?" I teased.

Edward's gaze turned serious as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in for a deep, sensual, heart-stopping kiss that quite literally took my breath away.

"Is that what you meant?" he asked breathlessly.

"I'm not sure…" I answered, tapping my chin with my finger. He laughed and pulled me in again, this time literally sweeping me off my feet as his lips danced upon mine.

The ship's horn blew three times and a recorded voice came over the loudspeakers telling passengers to return to their cars. I heard the words, but they didn't register in my head. Nothing registered except my hands grasping Edward's hair, his fingers gently caressing my back, and our mouths perfectly moving together.

Edward broke the kiss with, looking around with a nervous laugh. "Apparently we're making a scene. Plus Alice is furiously thinking about coming up here and dragging us both back to the car."

I blushed 14 shades before burying my face in Edward's chest. I could feel rather than hear his muffled chuckling.

We were the last ones down to the parking deck, but I really couldn't care less. The ship hadn't even finished docking yet, so I wasn't sure why everyone was rushing around anyway.

Fred and Jasper were playing a rousing round of "Guess that Emotion," a game they apparently made up to pass the time. Alice was busily trying to distract Jasper and the three of them were laughing uproariously. "It's about time you lovebirds made it back," Alice laughed.

"That was definitely annoyance, and perhaps some lust?" Jasper joked, giving my shoulder a slight push. I smiled because he was right. I wasn't annoyed by them, but rather the poor timing of our arrival in Port Angeles. I would have liked to find a secluded place where Edward and I could have continued our impromptu make-out session. Those two long, lovely kisses had reduced my stress level by about half, and I was certainly ready for more.

We continued to play the silly game until we were about 15 miles outside of Forks, when Jasper announced "Seriousness, and game over."

Edward rolled his eyes at his brother, but acknowledged that he was right. Edward eyed Fred through the rearview mirror. "I don't imagine I need to tell you there is absolutely no feeding on humans allowed here in this entire area."

"But you're going to tell me anyway, right?" Fred said with a smile.

Edward wasn't as amused.

"OK, OK, yeah, I kinda figured that out all by myself," Fred answered. "I'm really not looking forward to venison. Even when I was human, I thought that stuff was gamey. I get that it's a small town, but there's got to be somebody that wouldn't be missed. Don't you people have a hermit or something?"

"We do. His name is Ivan, and even though he only comes into town every couple of weeks, people would start looking for him if he went missing," Jasper answered.

"Even my dad watches out for Ivan," I added. "He's had a rough life, but he's happy in his little shack outside of Forks. You wouldn't eat poor Ivan, would you?" The thought of it made my eyes well up with tears.

"No, Bella… don't cry. I'm not going to eat Ivan, OK?" Fred reached over to comfort me, or I assumed that's what he was going to do before he just about got his arm snapped off by three protective vampires.

"Do not touch Bella," Edward warned through a growl. "I know you weren't planning to harm her, but you don't know your own strength yet, and if you even so much as bruised her delicate skin, let's just say I wouldn't take it kindly."

"Edward!" I admonished him, "Fred was just trying to be nice. I'm glad you want to protect me, but sometimes it's just a little too much!"

Before Edward could answer, Fred spoke up. "No, Bella. Edward's right. I have good control for a newborn, really good control, but even I realize I have nowhere near enough to be fully trusted around a human. It was all I could do not to jump out of the car and latch onto one of the ferry passengers, drain them, weight the body and toss the corpse overboard."

"I see you've given that some thought," I responded in horror. I'm sure my eyes were as wide as saucers.

"The thing is," Fred continued, "I honestly don't want to hurt you, but bloodlust is a powerful thing."

"Yes, it is…" Jasper added softly, looking at me with sorrowful eyes.

"That was a long time ago, and all's forgiven," I said as earnestly as I could. Alice kissed his shoulder and he nuzzled her spiky hair.

In the meantime, Fred was putting two and two together. "Wait… You tried to bite Bella?" he whispered in disbelief.

"It was an accident. I got a paper cut." I was quick to defend Jasper, knowing this was the worst possible subject we could be talking about.

"The answer is 'yes, I did try to bite her'… in a moment of weakness," Jasper admitted. "If Edward hadn't stopped me…"

"But he did, and I'm still human, so…" I was going to add something about no harm, no foul, but there was harm. It was the event Edward used as his reason to leave me. It had killed me in every way but physically. For a moment, that all-too-familiar burning emptiness in my chest took hold of me, its contemptuous voice taunting, 'You're letting yourself get too attached. Didn't you learn anything? He left you once, and he could do it again. Then what will you do?'

I hated that particular voice. It not only exposed my greatest fear, but it mocked me for trying to overcome it.

Emerging from my thoughts, I locked eyes with Jasper. He was grief-stricken all over again, and I realized he had felt my brief, but powerful recollection of those dark times. If he could have been in tears, he would. I had no way to comfort him in that moment. I smiled weakly and nodded in understanding. We had never addressed 'The Birthday Incident' as it was called when someone had to refer to it, and I figured we should probably do that at some point.

I hadn't even noticed that we were through Forks and to the Cullen's driveway until the car left the pavement. As we pulled up, Fred let out a whistle. "Nice digs you got here."

"We like it," Alice commented as she opened the car door. She started to open my door, but Edward was there in a flash and gave her a look that said 'Back off, little sister. That's my job.' I had to chuckle. They'd been together for at least 50 years and they still argued like teenagers.

We almost made it up the front steps before Carlisle opened the door to welcome us. The four of his "kids" got a hug, and then he extended his hand to Fred. Much to everyone's surprise, Fred pulled Carlisle into a hug. "Thank you, sir, for trying to save Bree. I know you took a risk for her, going up against the dark cloaks, and thank you for trying to help me now, too."

Looking self-conscious, Carlisle stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. "Thank you for saying so, Fred, but I didn't do anything that others wouldn't have done."

Fred scoffed. "Have you MET other vampires? I've never met one that would put themselves on the line to save anybody else. Until I met your family…"

"OK, so how long is the group hug going to last?" Emmett bellowed from the living room.

Carlisle rolled his eyes. "Come in, Fred, and meet the rest of the Cullen family."


	10. Chapter 10

Someone suggested a recap, so here goes:

Fred, Jasper, Alice, Edward and Bella just arrived at the Cullen's house after illegally crossing the Canadian border. Aro is interested in Fred's gift and wants Carlisle to learn what he can about it and report back before Aro and Fred have a face-to-face in Volterra.

Stephenie Meyers' characters… you know the drill.

Esme stood just inside the doorway. We each hugged her on our way into the house, where it smelled of cookies baking. She always spoiled me like that. We each took a seat at the dining room table.

"This is my wife, Esme," Carlisle said to Fred. The two shook hands, but Fred was distracted by sounds coming from the family room.

"Is that Super Mario I hear?" he asked in wide-eyed wonder. He seemed drawn toward the sound like a moth to the flame.

"Dude, you like my man Mario?" Emmett asked in his best California surfer voice.

"He's the best. I like some of the newer games, but there's nothing like the classics," Fred responded.

"My thoughts exactly. I'm Emmett, by the way. The brains behind this organization."

"You probably already know my name. Fred," he said, offering his hand. Emmett reached to shake, but Fred pulled his hand back and slicked it through his hair. "Too slow…." he said with a smile.

Emmett sucker punched him in the gut, Fred slapped Emmett upside the head and they started to tussle until Esme called a stop to it. "Not in the house! If you boys want to wrestle, take it outside!"

Neither of them seemed to want to continue enough to go out, but I was pretty sure the rough-housing wasn't over. Soon the two guys were sitting side-by-side playing video games.

"Not another boy in the house! Esme, we're outnumbered again!" Rosalie whined as she walked through the back door, obviously having just come from the garage. She was wearing coveralls, hair in a ponytail, and sporting some grease on her face.

"Hey, babe. This is Fred," Emmett said without looking away from the TV screen. "Fred, that's my wife, Rose."

Fred glanced back to say Hi, but when he caught sight of her, his mouth froze open. He did a double-take of epic proportions. I half expected his eyes to pop in and out of his head like on the cartoons to the sound of an 'ah-OOO-gah' horn.

He jumped up in an instant and took Rosalie's hand, kissing the back of it. "Very pleased to meet you," he whispered in awe.

"Get back over here, dude," Emmett called to Fred, completely unaware of Fred's fawning over Rose. "I can't get to the castle unless you come with me. Rose, honey, did you fix the Jeep yet?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's running better than ever, no thanks to you."

"OK, cool," Emmett said, still concentrating on his little Mario character. Fred, on the other hand, was concentrating on Rosalie, who was currently scowling at her oblivious husband.

Edward, Alice, and Jasper were snickering amongst themselves, and I didn't have to be a gifted vampire to know why.

"So, FRED," Rosalie cooed in an exaggeratedly sexy voice, "it's so nice to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you and I SO look forward to learning more. Oh, but I must look a fright! I really do need to make myself presentable for company."

She batted her eyelashes at him. So help me God, she did.

"You don't… need to do anything on my account," Fred stammered. "I think you look… perfect… just the way you are."

"Oh, you're SO SWEET to say so," she responded bashfully, stealing occasional glances at Emmett.

"Not at all," Fred continued. "I think you may be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Yeah, my Rose is a real looker," Emmett casually added. "Hey, do I need to start this game over as a one-player?"

"Go ahead, Fred. You wouldn't want to miss your GAME on my account," Rosalie sighed after another attempted barb at Emmett failed to hit its mark. She reached out and shyly touched Fred's arm, then turned to go upstairs. Fred watched after her in amazement.

He returned to the game, but continually peeked back at the stairs.

"Pay attention!" Emmett hollered as Mario got knocked off his Yoshi. "I've never met a vampire with such bad reflexes."

"Sorry," Fred mumbled. "I guess I'm just easily distracted."

Esme brought milk and cookies for me and joined the rest of us at the dining room table. Of course, the regular argument started almost immediately.

"Milk?" Jasper complained. "Esme, I promised I would never attack Bella again. You don't have to give her milk as insurance."

"You can't have fresh-baked cookies without milk," I retorted. "It's like peanut butter without jelly." I'd obviously used the wrong metaphor because there were blank stares all around.

"Bella's right, you guys," Fred chimed in from the other room. I gave him a 'thumbs-up' but the rest of them groaned. "Well, of course I think it's disgusting now, but it hasn't been that long since I was human…"

"Oh, give the little newborn his milk," Emmett mocked in a high-pitched girly voice. The next thing I heard was Emmett yelling "OWWW!"

"Probably be a good idea to remember the little newborn is stronger than you," Fred jabbed

They went back to playing and we continued to laugh and tease each other at the table, but I knew all of us were sitting there for the same reason – to watch the fireworks when Rosalie came downstairs.

In less time than should be possible, a freshly-showered, well-coiffed Rosalie strutted down to the living room wearing skin-tight dark jeans, a low-cut silky red tank, and red stilettos. I always knew she was gorgeous, but she'd even outdone herself this time.

Alice whistled loudly, causing Fred to turn at the noise. Upon seeing the radiant Rosalie, Fred jumped up, but didn't move otherwise. He just stood there, gawking like an imbecile. I didn't know if vampires could go into shock or not, but if they could, he had.

"Wow," he whispered. "You look… well… you look… there are no words…."

"Gosh, thanks Fred. You're very sweet!" she gushed. I mouthed the word 'gosh' to Edward. He just smiled and shrugged.

"Emmett is the luckiest man in the world," Fred whispered.

"No, I'm not!" Emmett yelled. "I can't even get a decent second player! I thought you were gonna help me here. You coulda been a contendah," he said with a terrible Brando accent, the same terrible accent he used to quote from The Godfather ad nauseum.

When nobody laughed at his stupid joke, except him of course, he finally turned to see what everyone was staring at. "Oh, hey, babe. You look hot. Doesn't she look hot?" he asked Fred.

"Ummm… yeah," he gulped. It was a good thing for him vampires couldn't blush. Or sweat.

"But you probably already figured I'd have a hot wife. I mean, look at me!" he crowed, flexing a few of his many massive muscles.

Emmett just grinned as several of us rolled our eyes, including Rose. "You're such an idiot," she glowered.

"Yeah, well you married me, so who's the bigger idiot?" he teased. "Hey, Fred, I'm gonna go check out my Jeep. Gotta make sure certain people fixed it right," he stage-whispered, 'secretly' pointing at his wife. "You wanna come with?"

"Naw, I'm fine here. You go ahead without me," Fred answered.

"Suit yourself," Emmett said dismissively. "There's some pretty fine lookin' machinery out in the garage…"

"I'm busy looking at the fine things in the house," Fred said with a wide grin, his eyes never leaving Rose.

"OK," Emmett laughed. "Your loss. Hey, Rosie, keep Fred here entertained until I get back." He swatted her ass on his way out the back door.

"Fox, take good care of the henhouse, will you?" Jasper whispered to those of us at the table. I knew Fred and Rosalie would have heard it, too, if she hadn't been preoccupied with seething at Emmett, and if he hadn't been preoccupied with her in general.

Now, I was no mind-reader, nor could I see the future, nor could I read people's emotions, but I didn't need any of those skills to recognize the look in Rosalie's eyes. She was plotting, and if Fred wasn't careful, he was going to be in the middle of a war zone.

"I'll see you later, Fred," Rose purred as she sauntered up the stairs. She didn't look back. She didn't have to.

"You want to mop up that venom on the floor there?" Jasper taunted. "Maybe put your eyes back in your head?

Fred seemed to shake himself out of his daydream, then joined us at the table. "You guys didn't tell me your sister was… so…" he sighed.

"Married? I think the word you're looking for is married," Alice interjected.

"Yes, but is she happily married? Emmett didn't even pay attention to her. If she was mine, I would worship the ground she walked on…" Fred said dreamily.

"I think she's pretty happily married," Edward contended. "You haven't had to listen to her thoughts for decades."

"Don't even go there, Fred," Jasper warned. "Emmett loves her fiercely and if he thought you were making moves on his wife, you might find yourself on the wrong end of a barbeque skewer."

"But he didn't even look at her. How could that be? She's just so… perfect."

We looked at each other and after about the count of three, we all burst out laughing, except Esme, who was looking rather defensive of her daughter. "Rose is a wonderful person. I won't have you making fun at her expense. I'll admit, she can be a little… overwhelming sometimes. Difficult, even… and once in a while she can be somewhat… self-absorbed… and haughty… but…" she trailed off causing us all to snicker before breaking out into laughter again.

"Wow, Esme, I don't think I want to know what you'd say in MY defense," Edward teased, "if that's the glowing report you give Rosalie."

She smacked his arm good-naturedly as Carlisle made his way over to the table from upstairs.

"I know you haven't been here long," Carlisle said as he put his hand on Fred's shoulder, "but I'm very curious about your gift."

"Carlisle? Curious? I can't even imagine!" Alice teased, causing us all to laugh at his expense.

"OK, OK… that's fair," Carlisle joked back. "I do tend to be the mad scientist around here. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be opposed to getting started. I thought perhaps Alice and Jasper, you and I could go out to the clearing and do some experimenting."

"Aw, Carlisle! I don't want to go! I already felt the effects of his so-called gift and I don't really want to do that again. Ever!" Alice said emphatically.

"I have to agree," Jasper jumped in. "That was no picnic. No offense, Fred, but if he makes us feel sick like that again, especially Alice, I'm not sure I could be held responsible for my actions."

"Now, why would you think I'd take offense at your thinly-veiled death threat?" Fred laughed.

"Sorry, man, but that thing you do is powerful awful," Jasper admitted with a slight sense of awe in his voice.

"Edward and I could go, too," I spoke up. "Jasper can keep Fred's emotions level so he can't emit such strong waves, and if he goes invisible, Edward can still hear him and I can see him."

"Thanks, dear," Edward replied dryly, "for volunteering my services, because you know how much I really cannot wait to be doubled over in pain again like I was before."

"All in the name of science, right Carlisle?" I said with a wink.

"Exactly!" he agreed. Edward rolled his eyes while the rest of us laughed.

"Alright. Fine. We'll go, but if he makes me sick, you're going to owe me," Edward grumbled.

I didn't know exactly what I would owe him, but since I wasn't sure I wanted to know, I didn't ask.

"Esme, are you going with us?" Carlisle asked.

"Hmmm… let me think," she said as she put her finger over her lips, pretending to be deep in thought. "Stay here and read my interior design magazines or go out to the clearing so you can use me as a guinea pig in your science experiment… That's a tough choice, but I think I'll stay here."

"Can I look at magazines with Esme?" Jasper asked quietly.

"Wow, guys. You really know how to make someone feel welcome!" Fred quipped to more laughter.

"Is Rosalie coming with us?" I asked

"No," we heard her yell from upstairs, the unnecessary volume for my benefit, of course.

"OK!" I yelled back, the unnecessary volume for nobody's benefit this time, but just out of habit.

"Edward, let's go see if Emmett wants to come with us." I gave him a bit of a sly look, which he returned with a confused one. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up."

Once we were out of the house, I asked Edward, "Can anyone else hear us right now?"

"If you whisper directly into my ear, I don't think so," he answered, still looking confused. I had a plan for some fun, which I explained to Edward. His face broke into a wicked grin.

"You are truly evil, my love," he laughed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side." I took his hand and continued our walk to the garage.

…..~~~…..~~~…..

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Like everyone else, I've been busy and really just haven't felt the muse. Then I finally got inspired again. Go figure! I'll try to make the next wait much shorter. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	11. Chapter 11

At the risk of setting a precedence, I'm posting another chapter only a few days after the last one. I don't want people to think this is going to be a trend, although I hope it will be. I've been writing like a fiend lately, so I figured I may as well capitalize on it while I have the chance!

For some reason, Emmett wanted me to ride on his back to the clearing. He thought it would be 'fun' and a change of pace from Edward carrying me around all the time.

"You can be my horse if I can have a whip," I snickered.

Emmett waggled his eyebrows, saying "That could be arranged, little girl. Don't threaten me with a good time."

I whapped his arm, making my hand sting. "You're disgusting! I can't believe you even said that!" I ranted. "Edward, aren't you going to defend my honor?"

I turned to see Edward trying to glare sternly at his brother, and failing miserably. "Emmett, don't talk to Bella like that," he fake scolded. "If you do that again, I'm going to have to… shake my finger at you and… look at you harshly."

He and Emmett burst out laughing. I folded my arms over my chest with an indignant 'harrumph.'

"I'm sorry, Bella, but you walked right into that one, my love. If I thought he was serious, I would rip his arm off. Does that make you feel better?" he coddled.

I pushed him away. "Oh, I see. I didn't realize you never wanted to be kissed again. Why didn't you just say so?" I sneered at Edward.

"OK, now that's not funny. We don't even joke about things like that!" he groused, his eyes dancing with mirth.

With that, I marched over to Emmett and motioned for him to squat down. I climbed onto his back and stuck my tongue out at Edward.

"OK, stop fooling around. I'm sorry," Edward said.

"Too late! Emmett is my horse now. Giddyup!" I hollered, kicking him in the sides with my heels. Emmett gave me a satisfying whinny and started galloping, followed closely by Edward who shouted at him from the side. The wind whipped through my hair and I couldn't hear what Edward was saying. I caught what I thought was "ridiculous" and perhaps "embarrass," but I couldn't be sure.

As the three of us entered the clearing, expecting to make a spectacle of ourselves, we were startled to see Carlisle crumpled on the ground with Fred hovering over him like a worried mother hen.

"I think I broke him," Fred said nervously.

"I'm alright… or at least I hope I am," Carlisle whispered from his position laying on his side in the dead grass. He slowly got his bearings and rose to his feet. "That's what I get for challenging Fred to 'show me what he's got.'"

"I didn't mean to," Fred said a little defensively.

"Where are Jasper and Alice?" I asked, looking around.

"They bailed on me right before Fred put me down," Carlisle chuckled. "I should have known something bad was about to happen."

Just then, Jasper and Alice reappeared, suddenly standing next to Carlisle. "Sorry about that," Alice said. "I saw what was coming next and just grabbed Jasper's hand and ran on instinct. Been there, done that, don't really want to do it again."

"I understand that now," Carlisle agreed. "So, Fred, I do want to test your abilities, but maybe you can use a lower setting?"

"Control is sometimes a problem," Fred admitted sheepishly. "Maybe if Jasper could help me keep my emotions steady…?"

"OK, stand back everyone," Jasper warned. Edward started to move me to a safe distance, but I didn't need to move. I was shielded, so I tried to shrug out of his hold.

"Bella," he said quietly, "I know Fred's power doesn't work on you, but he's still a vampire, and his teeth would work on you just fine." He grimaced as I winced at the thought. I'd sort of forgotten that part.

Fred looked down and kicked at a clump of dirt, before making eye contact with me and shrugging apologetically. I could tell he felt bad about what Edward had said, but he also knew Edward was right.

Once we were about a hundred feet away, Carlisle steeled himself for the challenge. "Jasper, try to hold him steady. Fred, try to start low and then slowly build up if you can. I'll tell you when to stop. Or if I drop to the ground again, that will be your cue to stop, OK?"

Carlisle gave Fred an encouraging smile. Fred nodded his understanding. I couldn't see his face, but he was shaking his hands and arms in an attempt to loosen up. I was pretty sure this was pointless, although it might have helped him psychologically.

I couldn't tell when Fred started. Carlisle just stood there for probably 20 seconds doing nothing, but suddenly he was doubled over on the ground again, along with Jasper.

"Dammit," Jasper yelled as Fred began apologizing immediately. In a flash, we were back with the group. I felt slightly dizzy from the sudden motion, but Edward steadied me.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Fred said. "I've been trying to control this for a while now and I haven't had much success. It's sort of all or nothing."

"Actually, that's not the case," Edward interjected. "Up in Canada, you blasted us with two waves. The second was much more powerful than the first."

"That's true," Alice confirmed. "The people in the community center weren't affected by the first, but we all went down with the second. Except Bella, of course."

Fred thought about it. "Well, yeah. The first one was when I heard someone talking to me through the crowd, but the second one was when I realized it was another vampire."

"So the severity of fear or alarm influences the strength of the effect…" Carlisle surmised. "Jasper, were you able to feel a difference just now? Did something different happen?" Carlisle asked, always the scientist.

"I had him clamped down pretty tight at first, but nothing was happening at all, so I started slowly releasing control on his emotions. At a certain point, he was suddenly able to break through."

"Did you feel any anger or other emotions coming from him?"

"Not really," Jasper answered. "He was concentrating and maybe got a little annoyed."

"He was thinking about trying to make you feel the effect, but not enough to put you on the ground," Edward added. "He started getting frustrated. If you were releasing his emotion at the same time, it would make sense that it came out stronger than he intended."

"OK, Fred. Without Jasper's help, I want you to try to use as little of your ability as you can, OK?" Carlisle instructed.

He nodded.

"Wait!" Emmett yelled. "Let us get out of range first." The rest of us moved back, leaving Carlisle and Fred alone in the field.

"OK, I'm ready. Try to take it easy," Carlisle said with a smile.

Nothing happened. "OK, you can start now," Carlisle said, encouraging him.

Still nothing. "Fred, are you even trying?" he probed.

Nothing. Carlisle stalked towards Fred, looking angrier than I'd seen him. "If you're not even going to try…" and then Carlisle was on the ground. Fred went to help him up, apologizing yet again. "No, Fred, that wasn't your fault. I was doing a little experiment, and it appears my hypothesis is correct. When there is no strong feeling or reason for alarm, you can't attack. Interesting… Most weapon-type gifts are offensive, but yours is a combination of offensive and defensive."

"What about that invisible thing? How does that work?" Emmett jumped in.

"Oh, that's easy. I don't need emotion for that," Fred answered and grinned prior to apparently disappearing from everyone else's view.

"Awesome…" Emmett said, although he probably wouldn't have thought it was so awesome if he could see Fred stalking around him acting a gorilla, pretending to groom his back and eat bugs from his 'fur.' I giggled at his antics.

"What?" Emmett grinned back at me, totally oblivious. I just shrugged as Fred started posing like Emmett had earlier, doing exaggerated bodybuilder stances. Even though he barely knew Emmett, the impression was nearly perfect. When his kissed his own 'guns' in appreciation, I burst out laughing again.

I didn't mean to egg him on, but Fred was enjoying my reactions so much that he, of course, went overboard. He gorilla walked up behind Emmett, and faster than I could see, he yanked Emmett's briefs up, yelling, "Atomic Wedgie!"

Emmett turned around swinging and swearing, but Fred was too fast and dodged the first punch. "OK, that's enough," Emmett growled, but apparently Fred didn't agree because he lunged at Emmett, grabbing his chest. "Titty Twister!"

Again, Emmett's fists hit nothing but air. "You're gonna have to turn visible sometime…" he threatened.

For his finale, Fred put his finger in his mouth and did one of those cartoon sneak ups with his knees high in the air. "Wet Willie!" he yelled as he stuck his finger in Emmett's ear and then ran. Once he was far enough away, he became visible again. Emmett was off in a flash, chasing Fred around the open field. Every once in a while, Emmett would stop and look around, so I knew Fred went invisible again.

"OK, boys, that's enough!" Carlisle yelled, trying to be the tough dad. It wasn't working.

"How does this game end in vampire world?" I asked. "Neither of them are ever going to get tired, are they…" Edward slowly shook his head, never taking his eyes off the action.

After a "red belly" and a "noogie" or two, Fred finally made a mistake. He approached Emmett from the left, tapping his left shoulder as he passed. Emmett didn't fall for it and swung his right elbow back, hitting Fred squarely in the chest and knocking him backwards a good 30 feet.

Emmett spotted the ground where Fred landed and ran toward him. Fred hadn't quite recovered from unexpectedly flying through the air, so when Emmett jumped, the two vampires connected with a loud crash. They rolled a couple of times before Emmett ended on top and began to pummel poor Fred.

That was until "poor Fred" panicked and the next thing I knew, Emmett was rolling around on the ground, holding his stomach and groaning in pain. It wasn't until I felt Edward's hand leave my back that I realized everyone else around me was doubled over as well, although they remained on their feet.

"Fred! Stop!" I yelled, being the only one able to at the time. He looked at me, confused for a moment, then apparently released everyone from his hold. Almost immediately, I felt Jasper's calm and once again I was whisked with the group to the site of the fight.

"Give a girl some warning," I scolded Edward. He knew I hated it when he moved me without my knowledge or consent. Unless there was a van skidding on ice in the school parking lot about to crunch me, he needed to give me proper notice.

"I'm half tempted to ground you two," Carlisle chastised the boys. "You're both acting like spoiled little brats. Lest you forget, Fred, you are going to be tested by the Volturi soon. Do you want to be ready or not? And Emmett! It makes a sense that Fred lacks control because he's a newborn. What's your excuse?"

"He started it," Emmett said under his breath.

"Did not," was Fred's witty response. "You said you wanted to see me disappear."

"Yeah, but not so you could give me a wedgie! That was just wrong on so many levels!"

"You're face is just wrong on so many levels," Fred answered.

"Keep it up and you're not going to have a face!" Emmett taunted.

"Oh yeah?" was the equally witty response from Fred as he crashed into Emmett, sending the two tumbling again.

Carlisle turned on Edward, Alice, and Jasper, who were watching with eager fascination. "The three of you had to know this was going to happen, so don't just stand there! Help me stop them!"

Too quickly for my eyes to follow, Alice and Jasper were holding Fred back, while Carlisle and Edward pinned Emmett to the ground. "Get off me!" he yelled.

"Only if you agree to stop fighting like a six-year-old," Carlisle told him.

"Fine! But he has to agree, too," Emmett said, pointing at Fred.

"OK, make that a five-year-old," Edward quipped.

"Fred?" Carlisle asked, growing impatient. He looked just about ready to put both boys over his knee.

"Whatever," Fred answered angrily.

"Good. Now, I want you boys to shake hands."

Reluctantly, like someone was making them eat broccoli, they approached each other. Neither was willing to put his hand out first. Carlisle intervened, grabbing their right hands and forcing them together. I could tell both of them were squeezing for all they were worth, but they were equally matched. Carlisle just growled at them, clearly fed up.

"Enough! Now, Emmett, I want you to go home so I can work with Fred," Carlisle said, in a this-is-not-a-request kind of way.

"No fair!" Emmett hollered. "Why does he get to stay and I have to go home?"

"Because I said so," Carlisle gritted. "Edward? Bella? Why don't you keep him company?"

"OK, but that'll be ten dollars an hour," I answered. Carlisle looked puzzled.

"That's the going rate for babysitters these days," I said with a simple shrug.

"Very funny," Emmett snarled.

"Thank you," I replied brightly. "I thought so, too."

"I'm going with them. You don't need me here," Alice announced, clearly looking like she couldn't wait to get out of there. She kissed Jasper 'for luck' and joined us. I walked over to Emmett for my return ride to the house.

"Hey!" Edward called when he figured out what I was doing.

"What?" I asked, blinking my eyes innocently.

"You're not coming with me?" He sounded hurt.

"Oh, don't be so sensitive! I was just kidding," I laughed, turning around and hopping up on his back. The four of us started towards home, leaving the others to practice.

Once home, we regaled Esme and Rosalie with stories from the field. Emmett's version of what happened was wildly different from ours.

"Really, Emmett? Really? Fred 'attacked' you for no reason? Do you kiss your wife with that lying mouth?" I asked, teasing him.

"I thought it was going to be fun having another dude around here…" Emmett moped.

"What are Jasper and I, chopped liver?" Edward answered defensively.

"You guys are cool and everything, but you're not 'dudes' like me and Fred."

"So, what you're really saying is that you're too much alike," Esme surmised.

"You take that back! I'm not like that guy at all. He's a jerk."

"Ring, ring: Pot? This is the kettle," Rosalie said into her pinkie finger with her thumb to her ear like a phone.

"Very funny. Of course you would take HIS side," Emmett frowned.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at him. "What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Like you don't know," he glowered right back. His voice went high and he batted his eyes coyly as he attempted to impersonate his wife. "Oh Fred, it's so great to have you here. Oh Fred, you're so nice. Oh Fred, let me go put on a sexy outfit for you."

"None of that is true, but even if it was, I'd be surprised if you actually noticed," Rosalie raged.

"Of COURSE I noticed. I notice everything about you. I may not show it all the time, but you're my world, baby," Emmett said, softening as he went.

"So, why didn't you say something when Fred was flirting with me?" Rose asked quietly.

"You mean when you were flirting with each other?" Emmett raised his eyebrow at her. She closed her eyes and dropped her head a little, silently admitting he was right. "Were you doing that to get my attention?"

"Maybe," she barely whispered, looking down at the table. Suddenly I felt like I was intruding on a very private, very important moment.

Emmett moved to her side and knelt next to her, taking her chin in his hand to guide her eyes to his. "Rose, I'm sorry if you thought I wasn't paying attention to you. I know I get wrapped up in dumb stuff like games, which doesn't mean I'm giving them up, by the way, but you have to know you are more important than anything to me." He kissed her cheek.

"Even Mario?" she asked with a little smile.

"Oh, babe, you're killin' me here, but yes, I suppose… even my Mario man," he answered with a cheesy grin.

She pushed his shoulder a little before giving him a rather significant kiss. I averted my eyes because this really should have been a private moment. I could feel my face heat up with my telltale blush.

"I'd say 'get a room,' but I'm afraid you might actually do just that," Edward said, tapping the side of his head.

"Pervert," Emmett laughed. "You probably like listening in. You've got your own homemade porn going on in there."

"Oh GOD that I could tune you out completely. It's my fondest wish," Edward said with a scowl.

"Well, sorry about that, brother, but the mind pollution isn't going to stop any time soon, so you might as well get used to it."

"You say that like I haven't already been putting up with it for the better part of 70 years," Edward said, "…like I haven't tried a thousand times to tune you out."

"Only a thousand?" Emmett waggled his eyebrows.

"OK, TMI over here," I protested.

"Oh, little Bella, once you get all married and vamped up… you just wait and see."

"Em, you're assuming she can get a rise out of Mr. Morose over there," Rosalie said, pointing at Edward.

"OK, that's quite enough on THAT subject, thank you very much," Edward proclaimed as I blushed intensely. "This really is not polite conversation for mixed company."

"Spoken like a true sanctimonious prude," Rose laughed.

"Better than a scatological strumpet," Edward retorted. I looked around and was relieved to find more than my own confused stare.

Alice, however, giggled. "When Rose and Em look that up, you'd better be far away from here."

"I'm not worried. I doubt they'll find it in 'Game Informer' or 'Popular Mechanics," Edward said snidely.

"Why do I feel like I should just hit you now and save myself the trouble of hunting you down later?" Emmett casually asked Edward.

"Nobody is hitting anybody inside this house," Esme declared. "I've lost more walls and windows and furniture than someone should in fifty lifetimes. Antique dealers all over the world would cry their eyes out at the pieces you've all destroyed."

"For their wedding present, you can get Edward and Bella any bed you like. It's not like they're gonna be doing anything to break it," Emmett jabbed.

"Very funny," I said indignantly.

"Thank you. I thought so, too," Emmett replied, throwing my words from earlier back in my face.

I smacked him on the arm and immediately regretted it. I tried not to wince at the pain radiating through my hand, mostly because I didn't want to give Emmett the satisfaction.

"When are you going to learn to stop hitting vampires?" Emmett asked with a laugh.

"When vampires learn to stop being so annoying!" I retorted.

"I hope you have good medical insurance, if that's what you're waiting for…" Esme said while rolling her eyes. "I think at this point in Emmett's existence, you're just going to have to settle for what-you-see-is-what-you-get!"

"Yet another glowing report from our loving mother," Edward teased.

"Well, I'm sorry, but sometimes you people don't leave me much to work with," Esme answered in mock exasperation.

"I hate to break this up, but Jasper and Carlisle have had just about enough of the effects of Fred's 'gift'," Alice said, making quote marks in the air. "They're going to be coming home soon and Bella has something she wants to say."

"What?" I asked her, not enjoying her putting me on the spot.

"You know… the thing… the plan you and Edward were talking about."

"Oh, that… it was supposed to be a secret, Alice, but thanks for making an announcement to everyone," I said, annoyed.

"No, silly! It's better this way. Trust me," she grinned.

"Well… I suppose if you say so. Never bet against Alice, right?"

A/N: "Scatological strumpet" essentially means dirty tramp, but in a way Edward would say that about someone… ha!


	12. Chapter 12

I know I said not to expect another chapter right away, but I've recently had writer's "unblock" and I can't seem to stop myself. So I figured I wouldn't fight it. Please review! I am so encouraged by your support. I always welcome constructive criticism, too, of course.

Chapter 12

"Count me out," Esme said, raising her hands in surrender. "You guys can have your fun, but mark my words, someone is going to get hurt and I won't be a party to it."

"Aw, come on!" Emmett bellowed. "It'll be fun! How could anyone get hurt? It's a harmless prank."

"Harmless? Do you remember the last two dozen 'harmless pranks' you kids have pulled on each other over the past few decades? The chemistry classroom neatly moved and recreated on the roof of the school? Putting your toes on the boundary line with the wolves on the other side trying to snap them off? We had to beg Sam's forgiveness. Going over Niagara Falls in a kayak? The police searched the water for days after that. It made international news! Carlisle had to call Aro to explain your little harmless prank!"

"Yeah, but we all still have our toes and the Volturi were cool about it, so all's well that ends well," Emmett said smugly.

"You say that like it's always going to end well. One of these times…" Esme left the threat hanging in the air.

"You don't have to actually DO anything, Esme," I joined in, trying to look innocent. "Like Alice said, it's better if you know what's going on so you don't get mad at anybody along the way. You aren't going to be mad at us, are you?"

"Oh, stop looking at me with those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes, little missy. I'm reserving the right to get as mad at you as I want, but for now, I'll keep my mouth shut unless I see things getting out of hand," Esme answered.

"Silence is golden. It's also tacit consent," Edward snickered.

"Don't make me regret this," Esme scolded.

"They're close" Edward announced. "Everyone look busy."

"I guess we're going to have to pollute Edward's mind later, babe. We've got a job to do," Emmett said, trying to sound business-like through his wide grin.

Emmett, Edward and I went into the living room to watch a movie while Rose and Esme sat at the table glancing through interior design magazines. Alice was doing what she always did when there was nothing else to do: Online shopping.

A few moments later, Carlisle, Fred, and Jasper came through the back door. Esme got up to greet her husband, but as soon as she got a good look at him, she gasped. "Carlisle Cullen! You take off those filthy shoes and get upstairs and take a shower. I may have to burn those clothes. I don't think they'll ever come clean. Same for you, Jasper. March!" She flitted off to the laundry room to start the washer.

"OK, what did you people do to Esme?" Carlisle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Alice asked sweetly, never looking up from the screen.

"Don't try to play innocent with me, young lady. I can practically smell mischief in the air."

"That's probably Bella's fault. She almost always smells like mischief," Emmett said.

I started to reach over to smack him, but remembered the sting from last time. "Edward?" I asked.

"Gladly," he answered, reaching over to pop Emmett on the back of the head.

"Oww!"

"Was that sufficient, my love?" Edward asked politely.

"Perfectly. Thank you." I laughed as Emmett glared at me.

"Well, whatever is going on here, I'd better not get a call from the school, the police, the pack, or the Volturi. Understand?" It looked to me like Carlisle was about at his limit for one day, so I just nodded before he and Jasper disappeared upstairs.

It was then I noticed Fred had found Rosalie, alone at the table, presumably waiting for Esme to return. He approached her cautiously, awe-stricken yet again by her radiant beauty.

"Ummm… Hi, Rosalie. Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Oh, hello Fred!" she gushed. "Esme and I were just looking at some designs for our next house. We can't stay here forever, of course. Humans aren't generally that observant, but they do notice if nobody in your family has aged a day in 10 years."

"I guess that's one of the hazards of living among them."

"Yes, if it was up to me, we would just live in the middle of a huge forest somewhere. But everyone else wants to stay close to humanity," she said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

"Even Emmett?" Fred asked. It sounded like there was hope laced into that question.

"Yes, especially Emmett," Rose sighed. "I mean, Carlisle has a good reason. If he wants to be a doctor, he has to be someplace with humans nearby, but Emmett just likes to go to high school and hang out with people."

"I don't remember much about high school, but I do remember that I wouldn't want to do it over."

Rosalie's laughter pealed through the house. "Yes, that's how I feel about it, too."

Fred looked pleased with the conversation thus far, so he continued. "Have you gone to college?"

"Several times… I have a degree in interior design, but most of my classes have been in automotive technology and engine performance."

"Really? So you really are good with cars?"

I sneaked a furtive glance at Rosalie. I could tell it was all she could do not to start her rant about women and the 'business end' of a car. Someone even implying that a woman couldn't be a great mechanic could easily bring about her wrath.

But, she played it cool, which was exactly what I hoped she would do.

"Oh, Fred, certainly you aren't suggesting that I couldn't be mechanically inclined…?" she cooed.

"Oh, ummmmm…. No, of course not… I mean…" he stole a quick look at Emmett before continuing. "You're just so… so beautiful and perfect and ladylike. It just doesn't seem like you'd be a grease monkey. I'm not calling you a monkey. You know that, right? I mean… I think you could be anything you wanted… except a monkey… you could never be that… but… well, if you want to be a mechanic, ummmm… you should just be the best mechanic you can be."

"I'm not sure if we need a podiatrist or a peridontist, but someone's got to help that boy extract his foot from his mouth, stat," Carlisle quipped as he headed down the stairs, looking all fresh and clean.

Fred looked down, clearly embarrassed at being caught with his tongue tied in the presence of the exquisite Rosalie.

"That's OK, Fred," Rose purred as she gently laid a hand on his forearm. "I think you're very sweet."

He suddenly had that hopeful-little-boy look on his face again. Seeing the same thing I did, Edward nudged Emmett.

"Hey, Rosie," Emmett hollered. "I checked the Jeep and it's still making a weird sound. Maybe I should have it looked at by a REAL mechanic."

"What do you mean, a real mechanic? The Jeep is fine, Em. I'm sure you're just hearing things," Rose said dismissively.

"I don't know… my hearing is pretty damn good. Maybe I should take it to the DOG," he laughed.

"I know you're not saying the dog is a better mechanic than me…"

"Well, he did get Bella's heap of scrap metal on wheels to slowly crawl down the road under its own power."

"Edward!" I ordered, at which he punched Emmett in the arm.

"Stop hitting me! Remember when Esme said no hitting?"

"I am but the tool my Bella used to hit you. You can't blame her weapon of choice. If she stabbed you, you wouldn't blame the knife," Edward reasoned.

"Yeah, you're a tool alright…" Emmett muttered. "And no, I wouldn't blame the knife, but I would break it in half."

"Is that a threat?" Edward asked.

"Are you saying I couldn't do it?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying," Edward answered smugly.

"Stop it right now," Esme yelled from laundry room. "Edward, you know better than to goad your brother, and Em, you just make it too easy."

Despite the moments-earlier reprimand, Emmett reached behind me and bapped Edward in the back of the head, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"Emmett Cullen!" Esme rebuked him. "I saw that!"

"Oh, sorry, Esme… I didn't know you were looking."

"Carlisle! Are you going to do anything about this?" Esme asked with disbelief.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I'm going to stay out of it," he said with a smile before heading to the front door. "Would you like to join me, my dear?"

She smiled and nodded, crossing the room to take his hand as they went outside. "This house had better be in the exact same condition as it is now when we get home." We heard the door shut.

"I thought they'd never leave. Now we can all wrestle! Everybody gather up stuff Esme loves and put it in the middle of the floor" Emmett said playfully. "Bella, you can be the referee."

"I h-e-a-r-d t-h-a-t!" Esme yelled from outside.

"I k-n-o-w!" Emmett sing-songed back.

I rolled my eyes at him before returning my attention to Fred and Rose. He was now sitting at the table feigning interest in her magazines. Rosalie pointed out various aspects of good design while Fred just stared at her and nodded.

I could have watched this little story develop all night if my body hadn't betrayed me with a giant yawn.

"Sweetheart, you must be exhausted," Edward said, pulling me into his arms. "It's been a very long day. And you haven't had a proper dinner. Let's get you some food and then put you to bed."

"Can I stay here tonight?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, you did tell Charlie we might all be spending the night in Bellingham, so I think if you…"

"Just call him and he'll be fine with it," Alice answered.

"Did you hear that?" Emmett crowed, waggling his eyebrows at us. "Edward is taking Bella to bed. It's about damn time! Now I get to listen to you for once, instead of the other way around."

"Eeeewwww," I protested. "That's disgusting!"

"It's just a fact of life in a house of vampires," Rose said nonchalantly. "After this much time, it's really not a big deal."

"Besides, we only have to hear Emmett's noises for about four minutes," Jasper wryly added as he, at least to my eyes, suddenly appeared in the room.

Emmett threw a pillow at him. I guessed it was the only thing he could throw that would leave the house intact. "You guys know I pay attention to my Rosie, don't I, Sweet Cheeks," he said lasciviously, walking up behind her, pushing her hair aside to run his nose up and down the curve of her neck.

Fred grimaced bitterly. I could tell he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. He put his hands in his lap, trying to divert his anger into his balled up fists.

"If you want some of this," he whispered into her ear as he nibbled at the lobe, "Go fix my Jeep."

That was it. Fred jumped up from the table, knocking over his chair in the process, and bolted out the back door.

I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep myself from laughing. I didn't want to draw blood, so I had to be careful, but this was just too much.

"You guys are doing perfect," I whispered, hoping Fred was far enough away not to hear me.

"I should have been an actor," Emmett whispered back.

"You call that acting? It doesn't take a whole lot for you to play the part of a dumbass, inconsiderate oaf," Rosalie snarked, giving her husband a sly grin.

"I suppose one of us should go find Fred. He doesn't know the boundaries around here, you know," Jasper cut in.

We all turned to Alice. "What? If Fred was going the wrong way, I would have said something by now!"

"Well, we should still go. Are you sure you know what you're doing, Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Of course! What better way to feel part of the group than to have a joke played on you? He would probably be more upset if we DIDN'T play a joke on him!"

"I agree with Bella," Emmett declared. "For example, if I didn't tease Edward about being a 110 year old virgin, he wouldn't know I care… or that I think it's hilarious he's a 110 year old virgin."

"Oh, is that it? You do that to show how much you care?" Edward questioned.

"And I think it's hilarious, don't forget…"

"I think it's sweet," I said in Edward's defense.

"Yeah, we'll see what you think in about 90 years when you're a 110 year old virgin, too."

Edward started toward him, but Jasper sent out a wave of calm as he stepped between his brothers. "OK, guys. Enough. Alice and I are going to find Fred, Bella's pizza should be here any time, and things are going to be quiet for Carlisle and Esme when they get back. Understood?"

These moments when Jasper exhibited his former military leadership training always amazed me. If anyone else had said something like that, Emmett would have come unglued, but he fell in line with the rest of them when the orders came from Jasper.

"You got me pizza?" I asked timidly.

"Well, we can't have you going hungry. Alice actually ordered it online," he said, suddenly sheepish.

"Thank you for thinking of me, Jasper. You're a sweetheart," I said, laying my hand on his and giving it a little squeeze.

"Yeah, well, don't let it get around. You'll ruin my reputation." He winked at me before taking Alice's hand and heading out the back door.

"Car," Emmett, Edward and Rose all announced at the same time.

"I heard it first," Emmett said.

"No you didn't. I just didn't say it when I first heard it," Rose retorted.

"Doesn't count unless you say it first, and you know it."

"Does every single thing that happens around here have to be turned into a game?" I chuckled.

"What can I say? We have a lot of time on our hands," Edward answered.

"Edward has a lot of time IN his hands, if you know what I mean…" Emmett guffawed.

Edward looked livid and… possibly… embarrassed? Could that be true? Rosalie was trying to stifle a laugh. I could see Edward was about to lose it, so I leaned over and gave him a very soft kiss. "Ignore him. It's not that hard. I do it all the time," I whispered before narrowing my eyes at Emmett. He seemed to realize he'd crossed the line and started fumbling through his pockets.

"Pizza's on me," he mumbled as he pulled some bills out of his wallet and headed toward the door. Before the delivery driver could knock, Emmett opened the door and stood towering over him. I recognized the boy from school, but didn't remember his name. He was quiet and kind of skinny and hung out with the computer geek kids, the type that would likely be a big-wig corporate accountant some day.

But for now, he was delivering pizzas to the mountain of a man in front of him. "Large pepperoni and olive, large combo with extra cheese, and large chicken and veggies. One order of spicy chicken wings with extra ranch. Three two-liter sodas. That'll be… $78.27 with tax," he read from the restaurant tab, trying not to tremble.

"Isn't your name Jeremy?" Emmett asked. "I remember you from high school."

"Yeah, that's me," he answered, looking down and scuffing his shoe on the porch.

"You know how I remember that?" Emmett asked. I'd assumed it was a rhetorical question, but the kid nodded his head.

"Damn Pearl Jam song, right?"

"Yep! You spoke in class today…" Emmett laughed at his own joke.

"Yeah… I've never heard that one before," he rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Emmett!" Edward hissed. "Get him inside. Now!"

Suddenly, Emmett pulled Jeremy into the house and slammed the door. I didn't know what was going on. Once Jeremy realized that he had been moved 10 feet in the blink of an eye, he went from looking bewildered to terrified in about three seconds flat.

"Fred!" Edward called out. "I know you're hungry, but we need to wait until Alice and Jasper get here before we can have pizza."

Now I was really confused until I saw Fred on the front porch, crouched and ready to strike.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nobody else was looking at Fred out on the porch, so I knew he was invisible. He had transformed from clean-cut, dopey frat boy to vicious killing machine, and it took me aback to realize both were the same vampire. His teeth were bared and I thought for sure he was going to leap straight through the plate glass window. I'm sure he would have if his prey hadn't been actively protected by Emmett.

Edward quickly pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. "Alice? Are you and Jasper coming home soon? The pizza is here and so is the delivery driver and Fred is pretty hungry, so if you guys could hurry..."

He snapped his phone shut and gave Jeremy an unconvincing smile. "Emmett, I don't think you have enough cash there. Sorry about that, Jeremy. We always like to tip well, since it's sort of hard to find our house and it's a bit of a drive."

"Uhhh… th-thanks and everything, but that's OK. In fact, umm… the pizza's on me. Can… can I just go now?" he stuttered.

"Rose, why don't you go find Fred? I think he'll be out back," Edward said while looking at me for confirmation.

I slowly shook my head and nodded toward the porch, indicating Fred was still out there.

"Jeremy, we wouldn't dream of you paying for our order. We just need to pull a little more money together. Hold on, OK?" Emmett said.

"No, r-r-really. It's OK. I can… just…" he tried to maneuver around Emmett, but he was being effectively blocked.

By this time, Rose was on the back porch calling Fred. On her second call, he seemed to realize who it was and the sound of her voice distracted him enough that he ran around to the back of the house.

I nodded at Edward, who suddenly had a $100 bill in his hand. "Here we go! I knew I had it in here somewhere," he said, waving the bill in front of him.

He handed it to Jeremy, and Emmett shoved another small wad of cash into his hand before moving out of the way.

"Sorry about that, man," Emmett said as he escorted Jeremy to the door. "We should have had the cash ready before you got here. Rosalie, my ummm… girlfriend… you know her right? She would kill me if you didn't get paid and then I'd have to drive all the way to town to give you the money, which sort of defeats the purpose of take-out, ya know? She gets really upset about stuff like that. Didn't mean to freak out on you, but you don't know what she's like when she's mad at me," he said conspiratorially, man-to-man, like this kid would have any idea what it was like to have a girlfriend, and especially not one like Rose. "My life would have been hell tonight, so thanks for staying a couple extra minutes so we could get this whole thing straightened out."

Jeremy just nodded as he headed out the door. Emmett followed him all the way out to his car and shut the door once he was inside, waving politely as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Well, enjoy this pizza, Bella, because it's probably the last take out we're ever going to get in this town," Emmett grumbled, shooting a nasty glare at Fred, who was now visible and being physically controlled by Rose and Edward.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it! He just smelled so good. I didn't even know I was hungry until I got a good whiff of him. I don't understand how you can stop yourselves. I don't think I'll ever have that kind of control."

"You can, if you want to," Edward said. "We all have the same bloodlust as you do. But I'm curious. You say you don't have control, yet you don't seem to be trying to attack Bella…"

Fred thought about that. "Yeah… that's actually a good point… I mean, don't get me wrong, Bella. You smell amazing and if that blood was in anyone else, I would be climbing out of my skin to get to it, but… well… I like you. Other humans are all afraid of me, even the ones I'm not trying to kill at the time, but you're really not. I mean, you've got this big group of vampires protecting you and all that, but I've watched you and you don't even flinch. You treat me like one of the family."

"Thank you, Fred… I think…" I answered, unsure about the proper protocols for dealing with vampires who think you're nice and have decided your happiness is more important than their next meal.

"If you can transfer that feeling you have for Bella to other humans, you will probably find that you aren't as interested in killing them, either," Edward offered. "But however it happens, you'll need to develop some control, because if you just start randomly killing pizza delivery boys and other conspicuous people, the Volturi will come after you, gift or no gift."

"If you're hungry, why don't you come hunting with us?" Rose suggested.

"Hunt animals?" Fred asked with trepidation. "I've never done that before, but I guess I'm willing to try… if you want… Rosalie…"

"Did I hear something about hunting?" Jasper asked as he and Alice came in through the back door.

"Yeah, Rosalie invited me to go hunting with you, if that's OK."

"That would be great," Alice said excitedly.

"Nice of you to show up just in the nick of too late," Edward said disapprovingly.

"Oh, unclench, Edward. I saw the driver get away unscathed and only a little freaked out."

"Edward, are you going hunting with them?" I asked, already chewing on a bite of pizza.

"No, I'll go later… maybe with Carlisle and Esme when they get back."

I knew he needed to feed soon, but I also figured he wouldn't leave me alone after the near-miss with Jeremy a few minutes ago.

"Why did you get so much pizza? Bella couldn't eat all of that in a week!" Fred mused, looking at the massive amount of food in front of me. "Unless you're hungrier than I am..."

"It would hardly look normal to have someone deliver one tiny pizza all the way to a house with nine people in it, and especially if one of those people is Emmett, don't you think?" Jasper explained. "Same reason we go grocery shopping every week. Esme takes the food up to Port Angeles and donates it to a women's shelter. It would look pretty strange if we didn't ever buy food around here."

"Oh, yeah… I wouldn't even think about that. Pretending to be human is hard."

"It's all part of fitting in," Rose sighed.

"I don't know how someone as beautiful as you could ever fit in, Rosalie," Fred mooned. "You are entirely too perfect to be anything but an angel."

I nearly choked on my pizza and everyone else was gagging or groaning at the sap Fred just spewed.

"Please, use your power on me, Fred," Emmett begged, clutching his stomach. "It would be less painful than this!" He broke out laughing and the rest of us joined in.

Fred looked humiliated, but Rose took his hand and said sweetly, "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She turned to glare at Emmett. "And I mean ANYONE."

"Yeah, whatever. He's got the pretty talk, but I got what it takes to keep you happy, if ya know what I mean," Emmett boasted, nudging Edward. "Know what I mean?"

"Yes, we all know what you mean, Em. How could we not? You're about as subtle as a brick through paned-glass."

"So are we going hunting or not?" Jasper said, becoming impatient. His feeling spread to everyone, including me, and we all hurried to get ready for the night.

"Edward, you and Bella are going to be home alone," Emmett taunted. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do…"

"Is there anything you wouldn't do?" Edward asked, only half-joking.

Emmett thought about it for a long moment. "Nope, guess not!" He answered cheerfully. "Maybe I should say don't do anything I WOULD do… even if Bella begs you to," he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

"Do you think you could get your mind out of the gutter for two seconds," Rosalie snapped.

"Gettin' too crowded in there for ya, honey?" he joked with a wink.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's get going. We need to show Fred our cuisine."

Fred smiled and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She returned his smile, but as soon as he looked away, she glanced toward Emmett. He nodded his approval, so she shrugged and returned her attention to Fred.

Finally, Edward and I were alone. I loved the Cullen family - honestly, I did - but sometimes they could be a little… overwhelming.

Edward put the leftover pizza in the fridge and took my hand, leading me up to the third floor. I called Charlie and cleared everything with him. He was only a little perturbed about me leaving town without actually speaking to him, but he'd gotten the phone message from dispatch and found my note when he got home. I reminded him that my cell phone worked both ways – he could have called me if he was worried, but he said he trusted me.

I wanted him to trust me, and I would even go so far as to say I deserved his trust, but even I realized the irony of the situation: I was currently leading him to believe I was at a hotel with Alice in Bellingham when I was really spending the night with my boyfriend in Forks. I would say it was typical teenage behavior, but nothing about our situation was typical.

Once again, I was relieved that Charlie wasn't much of a talker, because I really wasn't prepared for follow-up questions. We said a pleasant 'good night' to each other and hung up. That was one problem solved.

"I need a shower," I told Edward. "Want to join me?"

He gave me my favorite lop-sided grin. "I'm not allowed to do anything Emmett would do, remember?"

"I don't even want to think about Emmett joining me in the shower," I teased.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he said, crossing the room before I realized he had moved. He looked… serious.

"What?"

"I wish I could join you, Bella, but I would scarcely trust myself when…"

"When…" I encouraged him to continue while I crossed the room to stand in front of him.

"It's just that whenever you're freshly showered, your scent is just that much stronger and it's all I can do to fight my…"

"Bloodlust?" I tried to fill in the blank.

"No… well, yes, but…"

"Edward, just say whatever's on your mind. It's me," I reached up to stroke my hand along his smooth cheek, down his jaw, and rested it at the center of his chest.

"Bloodlust," he said, taking a long pause before finishing his sentence, "but minus the 'blood' part…"

"Oh…" I whispered before my brain registered what he had just implied. "Oh!" I said a little louder, "Are you saying…?"

"I don't know what I'm saying," he sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Just forget it."

"I don't want to forget it. Are you trying to tell me, in your own convoluted way, that you want me? Like 'want' me?"

"You act like it's some sort of surprise to you. Of COURSE I want you. How could you not know that?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Well..." I shyly started, feeling my telltale blush rise in my cheeks, "you never say anything to indicate that you have feelings in that... area..."

I looked down, rapidly regretting this turn in the conversation. Still, things needed to be said. "You always turn me down and sometimes you even look..."

"Look how?" he asked, now coaxing me to finish my thoughts.

"A little bit… disgusted?" I squeaked.

"Bella! No! I've never felt anything but desire for you. I've had to turn you down because I can't risk your safety, but that doesn't mean I don't want to. Of course I do!"

"How can you say 'of course' when you've barely even hinted that you felt that way? How am I supposed to know? I'm not the mind reader here…"

"Bella, listen to me," he said, taking my shoulders and squaring them in front of him. He lifted my chin so I was looking him directly in the eyes. "I imagine… things… with you… more often than is proper... It wouldn't be right to inflict on you my feelings of yearning for something we can't have. I've even spent a ludicrous amount of time thinking about what our lives would be like if I was human right now. We could get married and have children and grow old together..."

"Edward," I said cautiously. "You do realize if you were human, we wouldn't even be together, right?"

"What? Why not?" he asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Well, you were attracted to me for two reasons – my blood called to you and you couldn't read my mind. If you were human, you wouldn't have ever even noticed me," I reasoned.

"Bella, please tell me you're joking."

"I'm totally serious! What is there about me that would have caught your attention? How plain I am? My clumsiness? I'm not particularly good at anything. I'm just a regular girl. A guy like you would have been with the popular crowd. I would have been that girl you borrow notes from when you miss class or ask to find out if another girl likes you or not."

Edward just stared at me… or perhaps more accurately, into me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. If I didn't know he was a sentient being, I would have thought he was a statue, except for his piercing eyes. I started feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny. I looked at my hands for a few seconds, then back up at him. No change. I wasn't sure why, but the onset of tears began to sting my eyes. I finally could take no more. "Edward… say something…" I whispered.

"Bella," he said in a breath like a word on the wind. At a pace that would be slow even for a human, he picked me up bridal style and carried me to sit at the edge of the bed. Kneeling before me, he bent his head to the floor and began to sob at my feet.

My heart broke into a few billion pieces as a strangled cry ripped through his throat. "Of course…" he repeated quietly over and over again.

I slid down to the floor, wrapping myself around him as much as possible and cried with him. He had no tears, of course, but I had more than enough for both of us. Although neither of us spoke for quite a while, I realized something was breaking… a wall between us was coming down… something I didn't even know was still there.

If someone had asked me, I would have said I felt confident in our relationship, but I clearly still held reservations. And now as I watched the man I loved with more of my heart than I knew possible tearlessly weeping over my self-doubt and distrust in the depth of his love for me, I knew I had to let it go. I had no expectations that things would be all better in two minutes, but I had to actively fight to let go of the hurt I still silently held from him leaving me.

I had to allow that Edward would love me in any life, just as I would love him. We completed each other in a way that transcended anything else… We would have found each other because we were meant to.

After mulling these things over in my mind, I placed my hands on either side of his head and lifted. He let me move him until we were eye to eye.

"I'm sorry," we said in unison. We both had to chuckle a little.

"You first," we said in unison again. We shared another smile as I leaned forward to kiss his nose.

"Ladies first," he said.

I wiped at my eyes with my sleeve and tried to compose my thoughts. "I'm sorry…" I started, "because… what I said made your love sound trivial, and it's not. In the long run, it doesn't matter what started it… you love me for me, and I love you for you, and that's what counts." He nodded. I reached for his hands and kissed his knuckles. "Your turn…"

"Bella," he began, also seeming to attempt to compose himself. "I'm sorry… for allowing you to feel rejected. I didn't even think about how my reaction to your… enthusiasm… physically… would look to you. To me it's clear – I want to be with you in every way possible. It's just that certain things aren't possible right now. But there was no way for you to know that! I realize I zoned out on you there for a minute, but I was replaying all those moments when you showed me how much you wanted me and I turned you away. Of course you felt rejected, even though that was the furthest thing from my mind."

A fresh round of tears started to flow as we wrapped our bodies around one another. If I could have crawled inside of him, I would have.

"I'm going to tell you something I've never said aloud, ever, and my mother would roll over in her grave if she heard me being this forward with a young lady, but here goes nothing. Bella, I ache for you. I want nothing more in this world than to make love to you. I want to be inside you, to kiss you everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_. I want to feel you writhing beneath me as I give you pleasure and take my pleasure from you. And right about now, I'm very happy I can't blush because I would be all shades of red for using such coarse language so bluntly in the presence of a woman, but I had to say it because I've obviously been an utter failure at letting you know my true feelings. I hope I haven't offended you by going too far in the opposite direction."

Now it was my turn to be stunned. "No, I'm certainly not offended," I said gently. "Surprised? Yes. Offended? Not at all. I really had no idea you even thought about those things. I thought I was the only one…"

"No, I assure you, you're not the only one. I fear if I told you the extent of my entire tawdry fantasy life, you would run screaming into the night and never look back!" he laughed.

"Will you ever tell me?"

"Someday I might, if you really want me to. I think I'd rather show you, when the time is right."

"I think I'd like that, too," I said quietly, feeling a little bashful.

"So, did you still want to take a shower?" he asked, helping me to my feet.

"Yes," I said as I gathered my things and sauntered toward the bathroom. "Do you want to join me?"

I laughed as he tossed a pillow in my direction. I loved him so much in that moment, it almost physically hurt.

A/N: OK, I realize that was a bit angsty, but what kind of Bella and Edward story has no deep relationship-related angst? It was inevitable…


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: The FF site isn't allowing response to reviews. I promise I'm not ignoring you… I just literally cannot write back. I do want to thank those of you who have been reviewing. It's very encouraging! I enjoyed my digression into Bella and Edward's relationship so much that I kept it going for one more chapter.

Chapter 14

I woke to the unusual sight of rays of sunshine streaming through the windows of Edward's bedroom.

"Good morning," he whispered as he wrapped me in his embrace and peppered my forehead with soft kisses. "Did you sleep well?"

"You could answer that question better than anyone else," I answered with a smile.

"Well, comparatively speaking, I'd say you had a good night."

"Mmmmm….. and a good morning so far. I like waking up like this," I sighed contently.

"Then you shall, for as long as you want."

I immediately recognized the implication. "Not this again," I said as I rolled my eyes. "It's too early to have this argument."

"I wasn't trying to start an argument… I was merely stating that if you like waking up like this, there's no rush to change it." He put an extra emphasis on the word 'change.'

"Yes, and you know that's exactly how this argument always starts."

He chuckled. "I suppose so, but that really wasn't my intention."

"I haven't even been awake for a whole minute yet. I think there should be at least a five-minute moratorium on anything potentially contentious in the morning."

"But after five minutes, I can bring up anything?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"On second thought, I'd better make that an hour. I have to get some coffee in my system before I can be properly contentious."

He laughed. "How about instead of being contentious, we just make out like teenagers?"

"Edward!" I gasped. "Where did THAT come from?"

"What?" he asked, obviously feigning ignorance.

"You know what! Are you OK? Do you need a doctor?" I teased, feeling his forehead for a fever. "I can call Carlisle up here. You do feel a little warm..."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Miss Bella. I'll have you know I feel just fine. Better than fine, actually. I've decided, based on our conversation last night, that I need to give you more information about how I… _feel_… about you."

"I like where this is going, but unfortunately, I'm going to need a human moment first."

"OK, but hurry back," he whispered, somewhat reluctantly releasing his hold on me. I popped up out of bed, rushing to use the bathroom so I could get back to where we left off. These human needs were certainly something I wouldn't miss after my change, especially when Edward had just suggested we "make out," a phrase he had never used before. I could feel the blood coursing through my veins in anticipation of what he meant by it.

As I washed my hands, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair looked like a chicken had been foraging around in it, and my eyes still held on to their restful night of sleep. I ran a brush through my hair the best I could, splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth before returning to bed.

Edward smiled warmly, pulling up the covers to welcome me back in. "I didn't think it was possible, but you look even more beautiful now than you did a minute ago."

That earned him a significant eye roll. I laid down next to him and he immediately pulled me into his arms. He leaned toward me, his eyes suddenly darkened and smoldering as his lips touched mine.

A shiver ran up my spine that had nothing to do with his cold hands on me. Our kiss deepened, but this time was different. He was very clearly taking the lead. Gently, he rolled me to my back as he halfway covered my body with his. He was careful not to put too much weight on me, but it was enough to feel that wonderful compression between him and the mattress.

It wasn't long before I was panting, breathless, and my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. He broke away from my mouth to plant lingering, slow kisses along my jaw and neck, nuzzling into my ear, nibbling on the lobe, then my favorite thing of all, pulsing his tongue against the hollow behind my ear. He was rewarded with a spontaneous moan from deep inside my chest. I felt him smile against my neck as he slowly made his way to the other side.

My body was going crazy as he leisurely, yet sensuously started down my neck. I tilted my head to the side, giving him better access. When he reached the lowest spot, he paused to lick and nip and suckle at the skin there. I expected him to make the trail back up, but for the first time ever, he kept going. My eyes shot open as he carefully pushed a strap of my tank top to the side, following its path, tasting previously undiscovered flesh.

He very slowly kissed and licked a trail across the top part of my chest, his chin grazing my breasts on his way to pushing the other strap out of his path. He eventually reached the other shoulder, and while I realized he had already gone far beyond his normal boundary line, I was ready for more. A lot more.

To my surprise, there was a tap at the bedroom door. Edward smiled bashfully, sitting up rather abruptly, his eyes never leaving mine as he said, "Yes, I know," in answer to the door.

"Alice?" I asked him.

"Who else?" He responded to my puzzled look. "She came to tell me I needed to stop for now."

"What?" I asked, alarmed. "She's watching us? And why would we need to stop there?"

"Technically, she's watching me. I asked her to. I want to get closer to you, Bella, and I know you don't believe I'll hurt you…"

"You wo…" I started to protest, but he cut me off quickly.

"I don't think I will either, but until I know for an absolute fact that you're safe, I have to tread slowly. I told Alice to warn me if she saw anything even remotely possible going wrong. Bella, I'm sorry, but I'm just going to need some time to get accustomed to this," he said as he gestured down my body.

I started to say something, but then paused. I wasn't sure how to word this correctly. "Edward… I know we covered some new ground and it was wonderful, really it was. It's just, in the grand scheme of things…"

"It wasn't much," he finished my sentence, albeit more bluntly than I would have. "I know. It's just that… well… as a vampire… I have… all of us… you know… we can…"

"Oh, for heaven's sakes, Edward, just spit it out!"

He did, but his mouth moved so fast, I couldn't even begin to understand what he said.

"OK, now just spit it out at my speed, please. There's no need to be nervous. Whatever it is, we can talk about it. I want us to be open about these things."

"Be careful what you wish for…" he warned before taking a deep breath. "The last thing I want to do is embarrass you, but Bella, I could tell how aroused you were getting and the scent… it was overwhelming."

I pulled the sheet up over myself, suddenly shy and self-conscious. "Are you saying you stopped because of how I smell? Down there?" I pointed to the general area in question. "I hate to break it to you, but it's not going to get any better, so if you find it that repulsive…"

"Repulsive? What? No, Bella! I'm saying it's amazing, at least as intoxicating as your blood. Certainly more potent… and it makes me crazy with desire for you. Remember when we first met, how it took me a while to get accustomed to being around the scent of your blood? Well, this is all that times ten. And this is actually more difficult because…"

"Because…?"

"Well, I'm around your blood all the time, but this only happens at _certain times_, so it's more difficult to get accustomed to it, and…" he trailed off again.

I scrunched up my face and squeezed my eyes almost shut in anticipation of what else he had to say on this topic. "And…?"

He chuckled at my expression. "And… the scent is never quite the same each time, so desensitizing has been… difficult. Carlisle says it has a lot to do with body chemistry and what you've had to eat or drink beforehand."

My eyes went wide and I all but screeched, "Carlisle says? You talked to Carlisle about this?"

"He's a doctor, Bella! He's also my father-figure. Who else would I talk to?"

That did make sense, but I was still mortified. "Can't you just look it up in a book?"

"Yes, and I did, but books can't help me with my feelings. And there's not a lot of written medical literature about male vampire's reactions to human female arousal."

I rolled away from him and curled up into a ball, pulling the sheet with me and covering myself from head to toe. "I can never look at Carlisle again. Any of them… they all know, don't they," I muttered from inside my white cotton cocoon.

Edward's pause told me I was right. I curled up a little tighter.

"Sweetheart, it's OK. In a house full of vampires, there really aren't any secrets. I talked to Carlisle and he may have talked to Esme, but she's a woman, too. She understands. And of course, Jasper can sense the strong emotions and Alice can watch the whole thing play out if she wants to… and all of us have the superhuman sense of smell…"

"Are you trying to comfort me or make this worse?" I snapped. I felt his hand stroke my arm, which I think meant he was trying to comfort me. I didn't feel any more comfortable, however. "So, the only ones who don't know are Emmett and Rose?"

"We know!" I heard Emmett yell from downstairs.

"And I suppose Fred knows, too?"

"I do now!" Fred yelled.

"That's it. I'm never leaving this room again. Nobody is allowed in here except you. I'm going to stay under this sheet forever," I mumbled.

There was a tap at the door. "Go away, Alice," I yelled, although I knew yelling was unnecessary.

"Bella, Edward, can I come in?" It was Esme, probably the only other person on the planet I would be willing to talk to at that moment.

"Yes," I said, still covered up like a child. I felt silly… I WAS silly. When I said I could handle anything Edward wanted to tell me, I wasn't thinking it would be something like this. So here I was, hiding in my fiancé's bed, intending to stay there for the rest of my human and vampire existence.

"Bella, honey, I'm going to go downstairs and give you and Esme some time to talk, OK?" Edward said. His voice was close, but I didn't come out to see where he was.

"Why bother? You'll be able to hear me anyway. Or SMELL me…"

"Bella, it really is OK," Esme started. I heard the door shut and felt her sit down on the edge of the bed. "I can understand why this feels embarrassing to you, but it's all perfectly natural. I know this isn't a situation other human girls have to face. If it makes you feel any better, we're all quite accustomed to human scents. All of them. The good, the bad, and the ugly," she said with a giggle.

"Sorry, Esme, but _not_ helpful…" I replied dryly.

"I'm sorry, honey," she said as she gently pulled the sheet away from my flushed face. "This is unprecedented territory for all of us, but I can tell you that we're all thrilled you and Edward love each other so much, and part of that is about physical attraction. If your body didn't react to him, then I'd be worried. It's perfectly normal and healthy and beautiful. It's just strange that your fiancé's entire family knows when you're feeling… amorous."

"Strange. Yeah, that's the understatement of the century," I griped.

"I don't want to patronize you, but once you're a vampire, this will become commonplace to you. You'll know firsthand how much we rely on our sharp senses, smell just being one of them. We get a lot of information from our noses."

"Yeah, like who's in heat and who's not?" I asked sarcastically.

"Among other things…" she answered.

"I suppose you can tell when I'm having my period?"

"Of course!" she answered matter-of-factly.

"Isn't that difficult for you? With all the blood?"

"Have you ever asked Edward about it?"

"No, but I have wondered. I figured he just learned to deal with it like everything else."

"Menstrual blood is dead, so it really holds no appeal for us. It's not repellant, but it's certainly not appetizing."

"OK, wow. This conversation adds a whole new, and very creepy, dimension to the-birds-and-the-bees talk I had with my mom when I was 13," I only half-joked.

She laughed. "Well, I never expected to have this type of conversation with one of my daughters, so I guess we're even."

"I suppose so… sort of… I mean, I still get to be the one who's humiliated."

"Bella, my dear girl, there is nothing humiliating about it. It might be a little… awkward at first, but soon you'll forget all about it."

"Yeah, like Emmett's going to let me forget," I huffed.

"Well, you may have a point there, but we'll try to keep him in line, OK?"

"Yeah, because that always works so well," I grumbled. "But Emmett better remember I'm going to be stronger than him pretty soon," I said a little louder, just to make sure he heard me.

"Yes, and believe me, we're all looking forward to that! But for right now, little one, I can hear that you're hungry and I'm sure Edward is worried about you. Why don't you get in the shower and get dressed while I go make you some breakfast? And coffee. You'll need that before you can be properly contentious," she chuckled.

I turned red again. "Esme! You're supposed to be on my side! I'm never spending the night here again!"

"Oh, don't be silly, my little girl," she coddled. "We all love you so much, and our morning was quite a bit more entertaining with you here." She gave me a wink and a squeeze before disappearing out the door.

"Stupid vampires with their stupid super hearing…" I groused.

"We heard that!"

…

I slowly made my way downstairs after my shower. I felt 'fresh' as it were, but I was very aware of the noses around me. I sat down to a picture-perfect omelet with toast, juice and coffee. Edward sat beside me and apprehensively took my hand. "Are you OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, I suppose…"

"I don't know, Bella. Something smells awfully fishy around here to me," Fred guffawed, exaggeratedly sniffing the air while nudging Emmett, who was back to playing video games with him. The two of them snickered together, and although I couldn't hear their continued bantering, I knew Edward could, and he didn't look happy.

He started to get up, but I squeezed his hand. "Let me," I said. He looked at me questioningly and shrugged.

I stood from my seat and announced in too loud a voice, "Everybody listen up. Edward and I are engaged to be married. I love him with all my heart and soul. Edward is also smokin' hot and I want him. And yes, I mean sexually. My body does what it's supposed to do under those circumstances. Any questions?"

Edward stared at me like I'd grown a second head. I blushed furiously as I sat down, but didn't regret what I had done. More than anything, I hated the proverbial pink elephant in the middle of the room that everyone knew was there, but nobody talked about. I would never hear the end of the little jokes and innuendos at my expense, so I figured it was better to acknowledge the elephant and get it over with.

"Jeez, Bella. TMI," Emmett complained. "Can someone pass the brain bleach?"

"I was with you until you said Edward was hot. Ugh," Rose added, looking at Edward like he was Medusa's twin. "But bravo anyway. Don't let these dumb boys make you feel bad about yourself."

I gave Rosalie a little smile of thanks, then decided to focus on my plate, still feeling the scrutiny of all eyes on me.

After a few bites, I looked up and was relieved to see that only Edward was still paying attention to me. Everyone else had gone back to whatever they'd been doing before my unscheduled outburst. He passed me a note, which is how we privately communicated sometimes when we were with his family.

Written in Edward's beautiful hand, it said: _That was the single sexiest thing I've ever witnessed in my entire life. You amaze me more and more with every passing day. I love you so much._

A/N: So, next chapter, we get back to Fred.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Fred is back. I'm having fun with him, and I hope you are, too. Please take a minute to review. I really appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!

Chapter 15

Carlisle came down the stairs looking like he had a plan. Of course, he generally looked like he had a plan for something or another. Carlisle without an experiment or a research project of some kind up his sleeve was like Alice without shopping or Charlie without fishing. It just wasn't natural.

So, when Carlisle announced he had some new ideas for helping Fred develop his gift, I wasn't surprised in the least. "We're going to try something different today. Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rose, and of course, Fred, you're with me."

"Why do I have to go?" Rosalie whined at exactly the same time as Emmett whined, "Why can't I go?"

"Rose, you're part of today's plan, and Emmett, if you remember correctly, yesterday didn't go so well," Carlisle explained.

"Of course I remember. Hello? Vampire here. But it wasn't bad enough that I have to be grounded," Emmett complained.

"Em, seriously, if you think yesterday wasn't that bad, you don't remember 'correctly,'" Carlisle chided. "You and Fred were practically ready to kill each other out there."

"Yeah, but that's before we became best buds," Emmett said as he threw his massive arm across Fred's shoulders. The two guys stood there smiling, looking like giant fourth graders trying to con the teacher into something.

Carlisle just laughed and shook his head. "Em, another time. Tomorrow, OK?"

Emmett tried to argue, but met with firm resistance. Eventually he pouted and admitted defeat, returning to his video game, which he sadly announced had to be switched over to a one-player.

"OK, is everyone ready?" Carlisle asked. "Bella, you'll need your coat. Esme packed you a lunch and some blankets in case you get cold."

Right on cue, Esme appeared from the kitchen with two backpacks and a duffle bag stuffed with food, water, blankets, extra clothes, and a small medical kit. "That's everything I could think of," she said, allowing me to peruse the contents of the bags.

"Thanks, Esme, but I think you forgot something…"

"Oh? What's that, dear?" she asked with concern.

"The kitchen sink," I teased.

"Well, I'm sure I can have it pulled out in a matter of seconds," she laughed along.

"Just a figure of speech…" I held up my hands in mock surrender. "I need to remember to be careful what I ask for around here."

I winked at Esme as Edward helped me into my coat. Jasper carried my accouterments, while Edward carried me bridal style, and suddenly we were out the door, the wind whipping through my hair. Before I had a chance to think it, Edward pulled my hood up over my head and brought my face to his shoulder, protecting me from the cold.

In what seemed like no time, we were out at the practice field again. Alice found a spot that wasn't muddy and set up a small tarp-covered shelter, laying a thick wool blanket on the ground. If there had been a little fire, the place would have been the quintessential Boy Scout campsite. Of course, vampires weren't too fond of setting fires, so we went without.

"You didn't need to go to all that trouble for me," I remarked.

Alice smirked. "What makes you think I did this for you? I just wanted to keep my laptop dry!" Sure enough, she had brought her computer, saying she was doing her own 'research…' on current runway shows in Milan.

"Alice, I'm going to need your help," Carlisle called.

She rolled her eyes and set her computer down, grumbling something about all the worst things happening to her.

Carlisle had us form a circle around Fred, all equidistant from him like spokes on a tire, about 50 ft away. Edward and I were a team, of course.

"OK, Fred. I want you to try to knock down just those of us in front of you. Focus your energy forward," Carlisle coaxed.

"Is that why you put me up front?" Jasper growled. "Thanks a lot, _dad_."

"Don't worry. Everyone will get their turn," Carlisle responded with a smile. "OK, Fred, whenever you're ready. Try to think of something that makes you feel angry or threatened."

Fred closed his eyes. I wasn't sure why that would make a difference, but I didn't question it too much, especially when nothing happened.

"Jasper, a little help," Carlisle suggested.

"Why do I feel like I'm signing my own death warrant?" he snarked, but complied. I could feel myself becoming irrationally angry. Suddenly, everyone was writhing on the ground except me, and strangely enough, Rosalie, who was directly behind Fred.

I could tell the pain let up quickly because, almost immediately, Edward was back at my side. "Trade gifts with you, dear. You're mental shield for my mind-reading. Deal?"

I laughed. "Nice try, 'dear.' And how heroic of you to want to protect yourself at my expense! Chivalry truly is dead." I ruffled his already ruffled hair and he gave me a chaste kiss through his lopsided grin.

"OK, that was interesting," Carlisle interjected, still focusing on the situation at hand. "Jasper, you and Rose change places."

They did as they were told and Jasper once again turned up the anger. Again, everyone went down except Rosalie and me.

Now Carlisle was on a roll. He had us switch places, move closer or further back, had Jasper try fear instead of anger, made threats directly to Fred, and each time, the results were the same.

Carlisle whispered something to Rose, Jasper, and Alice. On an unseen signal, Rosalie tackled Alice to the ground. Nothing happened. Trying again, Jasper went to tackle Alice, and again, nothing, although Jasper took the opportunity to passionately kiss his wife, since he already had her pinned to the ground and everything.

Next, Carlisle ran at Rosalie, but just before he got to her, he appeared to hit an invisible wall, bouncing off it and landing several feet away. The action looked hilarious, but I tried not to laugh because Carlisle was groaning, grasping his stomach, and overall looking like he'd been hit by a truck. Jasper, Alice, and Edward weren't so kind, practically throwing themselves to the ground in fits of laughter. Rose just looked stunned.

"So, Fred…" Carlisle started as he pulled himself back together and picked himself up from the muddy ground, "you've been holding out on me. You CAN control your gift."

"I didn't mean to!" Fred hollered.

"I'm not accusing you of anything. Quite the contrary! This is a very good development. How did you do that?"

"I don't know! That's never happened before. It's just… you were trying to tackle Rosalie and I didn't want you to."

"But you don't mind Rose and Jasper tackling ME," Alice griped.

"No, Alice, it's not like that. I didn't do it on purpose for her and not you. I don't even know what happened. Did I do something different?"

"I think it's pretty clear that you've developed a particular, shall we say, affinity for Rosalie, so you seem to be subconsciously protecting her," Carlisle hypothesized. "Edward, didn't Bree tell you Fred protected her from the rest of the newborn army?"

"She did, but she didn't tell me how. Just that Fred had the ability to make people sick and she stayed near him for safety," he answered.

"Yeah, she got sick around me at first, but later it wasn't so bad," Fred explained. "I figured she just got used to it because it was better than the alternative, but I don't know… maybe I _was_ protecting her without even knowing it."

Carlisle started putting two and two together. "So, Bree could get close to you, but she was the only one, right? The other newborns felt sicker when they got closer to you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so. I never really thought about it, but I didn't make anyone sick as long as they kept their distance and didn't bother Bree and me."

"But you don't have that same effect on us. We can be right next to you and not feel anything, as long as we're not threatening," Edward joined in.

"When we were in the park, the people closest to you were the ones who got it the worst," Jasper added.

"As soon as Fred knew we weren't going to hurt him, his defenses went down," Edward continued.

"Fred, tell me more about living with the other newborns and how you protected Bree," Carlisle encouraged.

"O…K…" Fred started. "Well, we were all shut inside during the day because Riley told us the sun would kill us. A lot of the kids formed gangs… which wasn't exactly a stretch because most of them were gang members as humans, too. Turning them into vampires didn't suddenly make them model citizens or anything. So anyway, they fought all the time. Riley threatened them, but as soon as he left, they would start up again. There were detached arms and legs everywhere. It was pretty gruesome. Plus, there was almost always a fire going in the middle of the room where one gang or the other burned the remains of their enemies. I wanted no part in any of that."

"I've worked with a lot of newborns and I can't believe anybody would be so stupid as to coop them up together all day like that. Amateurs! That's just pathetic," Jasper interrupted, getting progressively more irritated. "I would have had those kids working together like a well-oiled machine. It's all about proper discipline."

"Ummm… Jasper? All things considered, don't you think it's a good thing they weren't better at building a newborn army?" I asked.

"Oh… Oh, yeah. Good point…" He smiled at his own misplaced exuberance for military command.

"He's right though…" Fred continued, "We had about 20 when it came time to fight, but they probably lost 40 more in the process. I didn't really care if they tore each other up. Less of them for me to worry about. But Bree… she was different. She avoided the fights and kept to herself most of the time. When we moved from house to house, I'd push a couch or big chair into a corner and Bree would take up residence behind me. We didn't really talk much, but we both liked to read, and she would give me her books when she was done with them. I wish I'd had a chance to talk to her more…" he trailed off.

"I'm sorry, Fred. We tried to save her," Carlisle said, sympathetically patting Fred's shoulder.

"I know… it's not your fault. It was those cloaked bastards. Bree didn't even want to fight in Riley's stupid, fake war, you know. She was just trying to save Diego."

"Yes, we know. She told me as much as she could before…" Edward abruptly cut off his sentence, but we all knew where he was going.

"I should have been there. I should have gone with her," Fred bitterly declared.

"Then you'd be dead, too. Even if you'd escaped with Bree, the Volturi would have tracked you down eventually," Carlisle said.

"I could have kept them away! You said so yourself. If I wanted to protect her, I would, whether I tried to or not."

"Fred, listen to me," Carlisle got right in front of him and made him look directly into his eyes. "I know your gift is powerful, and I know you would have saved her if you could, but I also know the Volturi. I lived with them for a very long time and I can tell you with absolute certainty that they would have found you and destroyed you both, probably before you even knew they were there. Demetri would track you, Alec would disable you from a safe distance, and Felix and his henchmen would shred and burn. You wouldn't even know what hit you before it was over."

"But…" Fred started.

"Listen to Carlisle," Edward urged. "You wouldn't have had a chance. At least now you can meet them face-to-face, knowing what you're up against. A few days ago, you didn't even know the Volturi existed."

"Let me tell you what I've learned today, Fred," said Carlisle. "You DO control your gift. You just don't know how to control it on purpose yet. But I believe you can. If you'll allow me… all of us, to help you with that, I think you can learn to use your gift with intent, when and how you want to."

"I don't know," Fred shook his head, "It seems like a big step to go from accidentally protecting someone to doing it on purpose."

"That's why we practice. Every gifted vampire I know has had to work at it. Our friend, Kate, can give you an electric jolt that'll knock you flat on your ass," Jasper laughed. "She can turn the effect up and down now at will, but at first, she only had two settings… off and full blast.

"When I first got changed, I could sense what people were feeling and other people would pick up on my feelings. Now I can also manipulate emotions. That only came through time and a lot of effort. Same with Alice and Edward. I'd like to be able to direct an emotion at one person without affecting everyone around me, but I'm still working on that."

"OK, I suppose that makes sense. I mean, I guess as I used my gift more and more, I did get better at it, but I didn't really think of it as practice," Fred admitted. "My question now is, do we really have time for me to get better at this? That vulture guy wants to see me in Italy pretty soon…"

"That 'vulture guy'? Are you referring to Aro?" Carlisle snickered.

Fred grinned. "Yeah, it just sort of seemed to fit."

"Better than you can imagine," Alice added.

"Yes, he'll want to see you soon, but that's a relative amount of time for 'That Vulture Guy'," Carlisle chuckled again. "I might not ever get over that one!"

"I'm sure Aro will love to hear that," Edward added dryly.

"It's not like I'm going to say it in front of him," Fred laughed.

Edward looked to Alice, who gave him the tiniest shrug. "Well… about that…" he started apprehensively.

"OK, why does this not sound like it's going to be a good thing…" Fred said warily.

"See, there's something about Aro we haven't told you yet, and it's a rather significant thing, but Alice saw that giving you this particular information wouldn't have been a good idea until we could all talk about it together," Edward said, taking a breath before blurting out, " Aro can also read minds."

"What? Like you?" Fred exclaimed.

"Not quite like me. It's the same gift in opposite ways. Aro has to be in physical contact with you, skin-to-skin, to read your mind, but he can see every thought and every experience you've ever had. I can only pick up what people are thinking at the moment, but I can do it from a distance."

"And you didn't think I needed to know this before agreeing to go to Italy? He's going to know I was part of the newborn army. He's going to kill me, just like they killed Bree." Fred began pacing. "He'll know ALL my thoughts? From like, my whole life?"

"None of that will matter to him if he thinks you can be useful," Carlisle answered, trying to assuage his fears.

"Useful!" Fred all but yelled. "Useful? How will I be useful, unless he thinks I'm going to join him?"

"Calm down, Fred," Jasper said as he sent out a wave to do just that.

It was too little, too late because all the vampires around me started to double over, including Rosalie this time.

"Fred, what are you doing?" she gasped.

"You people set me up! You're working for him, too, aren't you? I should have known this whole 'nice' vampire thing was a sham. And I ate deer blood for you!" he pointed finger at Rose.

"We're not working for Aro," I shouted in a panic. "Stop this, Fred! Just think about it for a second. Edward didn't have to tell you about Aro's ability. He's trying to help you! If we were working for the Volturi, don't you think he would have kept you in the dark?"

"Maybe, or maybe it's all part of your plan to get me to trust you so you can take me to Italy and make me join you! I've spent most of my vampire life shut in a dark basement taking orders and being lied to. I don't want to be anyone's minion anymore. I just won't!"

"If the Volturi wanted you in Italy, you'd be there right now. Nobody here wants to make you into their minion, Fred, trust me." I didn't mean to sound so irritated, but I couldn't keep it out of my voice.

"Trust you, huh? You know, that's exactly what you'd say if you were working for _them_," Fred accused.

I rolled my eyes. "I think you've seen too many spy movies… I know you don't know us very well yet, but have we given you any indication whatsoever that we're not on your side?"

"Well, no, but maybe you're just really good at hiding your true intentions."

"Are you listening to yourself? You sound totally paranoid."

"You're only paranoid if they're NOT actually out to get you," he argued, narrowing his eyes.

"And we're NOT actually out to get you! Now you're just being stupid."

"Says the unprotected human who should think twice right now before calling me stupid."

"Fred!" I gasped. "Was that a threat? You're the one who needs to think twice right now." I know sounded much more in control than I really was, but I couldn't let him see my fear. I hadn't noticed until he pointed it out that I was essentially alone, facing a nervous, scared, and very deadly predator.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hope you enjoy! Please review! Oh, and I keep forgetting to put in all that stuff about how I don't own these characters, etc. :-)

Chapter 16

"Yeah, you're right," Fred sneered. "I do need to think twice. I let you bring me here with all these promises of help, and now you're just throwing me to the wolves."

I snorted. "If we were throwing you to the _wolves_, you'd know it."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. The point is, your little conspiracy theory only makes sense if we needed to earn your trust to get you to Italy. The Volturi guard doesn't care about your trust. It's full of gifted vampires who could basically do whatever they wanted to you, whenever they wanted."

"You mean like Edward, Jasper, and Alice?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Seriously, Fred, exactly how could they benefit the Volturi living out here in the middle of nowhere Washington?" I asked, exasperated. "If Aro could get his hands on them, he'd be using their abilities in his courts with the rest of his talented vampires. And he certainly would have turned me by now. He already thinks my closed mind could be useful to him someday," I added.

"There's that word again. '_Useful_,'" he said making quote marks in the air. "According to Carlisle, apparently this Aro person thinks I might be _useful_, too. I don't want to be used. I've been used my entire vampire life, which I realize hasn't been long, but I hate it. I won't go back to that."

"I understand," I said softly, seeing my first opportunity to get Fred to calm down. "I haven't experienced it, so I don't really know firsthand, but I can only imagine how that would feel."

"I didn't choose this life, but now that I have it, I want to live it the way I want to."

"Don't you see, Fred?" I asked, risking taking a step closer to him. "We all want the same thing. That's why the Cullens live in Forks. They didn't choose this life either." I took another step, and then another. "None of them did, but they're trying to make the best of their situation… trying to be true to their beliefs and values." I carefully took one last step before reaching out to gently rest my hand on his arm.

He looked at my hand, then into my eyes. "How is it that you're not afraid of me, Bella?"

"Do you know how many vampires I've faced? I guess I'm sort of getting used to it… as much as someone CAN get used to it," I chuckled.

Fred deliberated for a few moments before he finally spoke. "You know, I could just run and take my chances…"

"Yes, you certainly could," I answered with an internal sigh of relief. He seemed to be calming down even more. "And we'd wish you the best of luck, but don't do it on these terms, Fred. Don't burn your bridges. Everyone needs friends in this life. And at some point, you have to trust your own instincts. Deep down, I think you know we're not the enemy, despite what Riley told you."

Eventually, he seemed to concede. He dropped his head and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Bella, I shouldn't have" but his sentence was cut off as Edward flew at him. The two bodies rolled a few times in a blur until Edward landed with his knee in the middle of Fred's chest. Edward was pummeling him before I could even register what had happened.

"Edward! Stop!" I shouted as I started to run toward him. Carlisle intercepted me and carefully held me back. I glared at him fiercely. "What are you doing?" I yelled, trying to look past him to see what was going on.

"You dealt with Fred very well, Bella," Carlisle whispered. "But now you need to let Edward and Jasper deal with him."

"Jasper? Is Jasper keeping him from defending himself?"

Carlisle nodded.

"But Edward's going to kill him!" I screeched.

"No, he's not. Remember what Jasper said about discipline with newborns? Well, sometimes it's not pretty, but Fred needs to understand there are consequences for what he did. He disabled us and threatened you, and that can't be allowed."

I couldn't believe my ears. Was this really Carlisle Cullen speaking? Peace-loving, fatherly, compassionate-to-a-fault Dr. Cullen?

Then I heard a sound I didn't want to ever hear again. Metal tearing, along with a blood-curdling scream. I looked past Carlisle to see that Edward had ripped Fred's arm off and was now beating him with it.

"Edward! Stop this instant!" I shrieked, tears welling up in my stinging eyes.

I wasn't sure if it was my impassioned plea, or if he was just finished, but Edward stood up and threw Fred's arm at him. "Don't you EVER threaten Bella!" he snarled. "Listen carefully, boy. If you _ever_ do something like that again, you'd better be prepared to kill me because mark my words… I. will. kill. you."

Carlisle let me go and I ran toward Edward. He opened his arms to me, but I glowered at him as I passed and knelt down at Fred's side. "I'm so sorry, Fred. I didn't know…" I sobbed almost incoherently.

Fred looked at me in shock, which I took to be his reaction to Edward's viciousness, but instead he asked, "Are you crying… for me?"

I nodded, unable to speak.

"Oh, Bella, you really are one-of-a-kind," he attempted a laugh through his pain. "Don't be mad at Edward. I probably deserved that."

"'Probably' my ass," Jasper hissed. He was perhaps angrier than Edward, if it were possible. Jasper was accustomed to being the authority figure with newborns, so being incapacitated by one must have been especially difficult for him.

Fred used his one good hand to brush a tear from my face. "I'm sorry, Bella. Don't cry. I was being stupid… and like you said… paranoid."

"Are you… gonna be… OK?" I asked, sucking in breath between my words.

"Yeah… Would you believe it if I told you I've had worse?" he coughed and his face was contorted with what looked like agony, but he still managed a half smile.

"No, I wouldn't," I answered.

"Well, you'd be right."

"Bella," Edward called quietly. "We need to go."

I turned to glare at him. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Which will make you less mad at me?"

"Neither!" I snapped, turning away again.

Fred's detached arm floundered around at his side, seemingly trying to find his shoulder socket. I cringed at the sight, although I felt like I should have been more sickened or alarmed or something. This was definitely a sign that I really had become immersed in vampire culture.

"Bella, you need to understand something. You can't read my mind, but he can. Some of the things I was thinking… well, they weren't pretty. I can't really fault him for doing this, although beating someone half to death with his own arm is just wrong," Fred chuckled.

"I don't see how you can make jokes… at a time like this," I sniffed.

"This is the perfect time to make jokes!" he laughed, causing him to grimace as he wrapped his arm across his chest. His voice became strained. "If ever there was a 'if you don't laugh, you'll cry' moment, this is it."

"But you can't cry…"

"All the more reason to laugh," he grinned as his voice got raspier. "Really, Bella, I'll be OK. Once I get this arm reattached, I'll be good as new. I really have done this before. Riley ripped my other arm off once. That's how we found out I had a gift, although I don't think he would have called it a gift at the time…"

Fred's demeanor changed suddenly. Gone was the smile and levity. He stared deeply into my eyes. "I'm gonna be fine, OK? Go with Edward. And Bella? Thank you, no matter what else happens."

I nodded, fresh tears springing from my eyes as Edward walked over and offered me his hand. I stared at it for a long moment, not sure what I wanted to do. He noticed my uncertainty and started to pull away, but I wasn't quite ready to let him do that either. Part of me wanted to slap him. I was still really mad. Another part of me wanted to hold him as close as possible and never let him go.

I finally stood up on my own. I gave Fred a little wave and what probably looked more like a frown than a smile, but it was all I could manage. Carlisle was already attending to him, so I knew he was in good hands.

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and began walking. I still wasn't sure if I wanted Edward to follow me or not, but he did anyway.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry you had to see that. What you must think of me…" he trailed off.

"Let's just go. I don't want to talk about it right now," I whispered. He started to pick me up, but I shook my head. I didn't want to be carried. I didn't want to be touched at that moment.

He nodded to his family and then we walked towards home. I kept my eyes fixed on the path ahead and Edward fell in line behind me. The silence was deafening, but I couldn't seem to get my own thoughts straight, so I wasn't sure how I was supposed to explain them to him.

"Bella, I…" he started once more, but I held up one hand to indicate I wasn't ready to hear it yet.

When I estimated we were about halfway there, I quietly said, "Edward, stop." He did so immediately.

"Are you OK, Bella? Are we OK?" he inquired gently, obviously concerned about my silence.

"Can we talk here? I mean, can anyone else hear us?" I answered his question with a question.

"No, we're out of earshot, unless you're going to yell at me. Even then, I don't think anyone else will hear you."

"OK. First, I want to tell you that I love you, and nothing changes that, OK?"

He nodded, appearing somewhat relieved.

"Second, I don't understand what happened back there. I've never seen you do something like that. I don't even know who that man was back there! I mean, when you fought with Victoria, you were defending yourself and me, but this…" I paused, not quite sure what to say. "This was a savage attack. I didn't know you were capable of being so… so brutal, and it kind of scared me," I confessed.

"Bella, honey…" he started, but then didn't seem to have a follow-up. I waited, knowing he needed to get his thoughts and words straightened out in his head. After a few moments, he continued. "You don't know what was going on in Fred's mind. I remember thinking such depraved thoughts as a newborn, so it's not that I don't understand it… he just needed to know there was no way we were going to allow those thoughts to go unanswered. He's lucky I took him down and not Jasper, or even Alice for that matter."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes, that bad. I'm reasonably sure they were just fleeting thoughts. I don't think he was planning to act on them, but he needs to understand in no uncertain terms that pinning us down with his gift is unacceptable. If he has questions or concerns, he needs to talk about them, not jump to some wild conclusions and attack us. And when he mentioned that you were unprotected… I tried so hard to fight against his power, Bella. I tried so hard. If he had done something to you…" His shoulders slumped in helpless defeat.

As I looked at him, my heart tore at the thought of what it must have been like, being held on the ground, trapped and utterly vulnerable while I was left standing to face what could have easily been my untimely demise. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down until his forehead was resting on mine. "I know, sweetheart. I know… I'm OK. Nothing happened…"

"I didn't want to scare you, Bella. I'm sure I looked insane attacking him like that, but you don't know the things I heard… the things I thought might happen," he said just above a whisper. "I could have lost you today. I can't even think about it… And the way you handled it…"

I stared at my feet and shrugged. "I just had to talk him down from the ledge. That's all."

"You are far too brave for your own good," he smiled, pushing a few strands of hair behind my ear.

"Well, I didn't really have a choice…"

"I know, and that sickens me. I could hear everything, but I couldn't do anything. You don't know how badly I wanted to kill him," Edward said through gritted teeth.

"I'm glad you didn't. I wanted you to kill Victoria, but not Fred, so I'm glad you held back. I'm sure it was hard for you, though..."

He held my shoulders at arms length, making eye contact. "So, are we OK? Please tell me if we're not because I'll do anything to make us OK again."

I smiled shyly. "Anything…?"

"Bella, you are incorrigible!" he exclaimed, once he caught my meaning. "OK, _almost_ anything."

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked.

"Of course, my love. You can tell me anything!"

"But what if it's something that makes me a bad person…"

"Like you could ever be a bad person, Bella. Seriously."

"Oh, never mind. I can't say it anyway. It's too embarrassing!"

Edward chuckled. "Now you HAVE to say it. You can't just start something like that and not finish it. You'd never let me get away with that and you know it!"

"Alright, fine! But after this, you can never say I'm anything but a bad person. Got it?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"It's just… when you went after Fred…? It was really terrible and unforgivable and wrong," I said rapid fire. He waited for me to continue as I watched my hands wringing together.

"And…?" he coaxed.

"And…" I'm sure I was blushing every shade of red known to man. "And it was kinda hot."

I peeked up at him from under my lashes. He looked stunned, but then his face broke into a huge smile as he threw his head back and laughed heartily. It took him a while to settle down, and even then he would look at me and start laughing again. I wasn't sure if I should be mortified or equally amused.

"Stop it!" I mock protested. "I told you it was bad!"

"Oh, Bella. That's just the last thing in the world I expected you to say. You always surprise me." He pulled me close. "You are not a bad person and furthermore, I just love you so much, I don't know what to do with myself sometimes."

He kissed me passionately, pausing every so often to smile or snicker.

"That," I sighed.

"That, what?"

"Kiss me. That's what you can do with yourself," I giggled.

He kissed me again and before long, we were laughing and carefree once more.

"I was wrong earlier, you know… Chivalry is not dead. It's alive and well right here," I placed my hand on his chest over his heart. Even if it didn't beat, his was the warmest heart I'd ever known.

"If I'd realized I'd get this reaction, I would have beat somebody up a long time ago. Where's Newton when you need him?"

I started to give Edward a smack on the arm, but stopped myself before I hurt my hand again. "Edward?"

He looked put out, but dutifully slapped himself on the arm. "Is that sufficient, my love?"

"That'll do quite nicely, thank you." I squeezed his hand and we laughed and talked all the way back to the house.

When we arrived, I was surprised to find everyone already there. Edward and I hadn't strayed far from the regular path, so Alice must have known we needed some time and decided the rest of them should go home using an alternate route. I'd have to remember to thank her for that.

I was even more surprised that everyone was sitting at the dining room table, which meant one thing – family meeting.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hope you enjoy! Please review. It means a lot to me!

Chapter 17

Edward and I took the two empty chairs, even though I wished we could just go to our room. I really wasn't ready for a family meeting; too many things had happened that day already and I barely had time to organize them in my head, let alone contemplate their meaning and be prepared to talk about it all to everyone else.

Fred covertly waved at me with both hands, showing me his arm was reattached. I gave him the thumbs up. It was an awkward exchange, to say the least.

"Edward, Bella, thanks for joining us," Carlisle said by way of welcome. "We were just telling Emmett and Esme about the 'incident' today. I thought it would behoove us to all sit down and talk about it. Fred needs to make some decisions and we may need to make some, too." He glared sternly at Fred, who looked extremely repentant and ashamed.

"As I was saying," Carlisle resumed, "Fred was _concerned_ that we were grooming him for service to the Volturi, or that Aro would have him killed when he found out Fred was part of the newborn army. Instead of asking for an explanation, or talking about his fears, he panicked and you already heard what happened after that."

"Bella, you're so badass! Facing a pissed off vampire all by yourself," Emmett applauded me.

I felt my telltale blush rise in my face, which I'm sure Emmett was very happy to see. He loved nothing more than embarrassing me. "I just tried to get him to see reason," I murmured quietly.

"I know you're not the center-of-attention type, but you really were incredibly brave out there today," Alice chimed in.

I gave her a small smile, then looked around the table at everyone grinning at me, except Fred, who looked like he'd just swallowed some sour milk.

"OK, thanks and everything, but I'm done with the limelight now. Can we move on, please?" I grumbled.

"Of course," Carlisle continued, "after I get the chance to thank you for being so courageous today."

I rolled my eyes at him, making a circular motion with my hand as if to say 'yeah, whatever, move along.'

He did. "We've all, including Fred, agreed that what happened today was unacceptable, so the question is, what we're going to do about it? Fred admitted his wrongdoing, and I don't think he'll want to go through any of that again, but he is a newborn and that makes him volatile by nature. He and I have already talked about this. He is very sorry and would like another chance to prove himself. After talking to him at length, I am cautiously willing to offer it to him, but this is not my decision to make alone."

"No," Edward stated coldly. "I'm sorry, Fred, but you threatened Bella and I won't have it. Your gift is powerful and you aren't mature enough to wield it appropriately yet. She was able to diffuse the situation this time, but what about next time?"

"There won't BE a next time," Fred muttered.

"Can you guarantee that? None of us, including you, thought there would be a 'this time.' You're a bad combination of ignorant and arrogant – you don't know any better, but you think you do."

"I'm not sure what to say to that, except…" Fred paused for a long, contemplative moment, "I guess you're right. Until yesterday, the only vamps I ever knew were a bunch of newborns like me, and besides Riley and maybe Diego, I had the best control of all of them, and I was definitely the only one with a gift. I suppose maybe it went to my head a little."

"Yeah, maybe a little," Rose scoffed.

"You're still young and we understand that," Jasper explained, "but you seem to think you're ready to run with the 'big boys' and that just ain't the case."

Fred nodded dejectedly. "Yeah, I get that now. It's just, you have to understand that Riley told us we were gods, and that I was a god among gods because I could do something special. I never got in trouble for using my abilities. In fact, I was rewarded for it… all the time. This whole life of yours is all new to me and I'm here for less than a day and I've already messed everything up."

I took Edward's hand. "I'm sorry, Edward, but I think we should give him another chance. Fred may have threatened me, but he didn't actually harm me. He's been quite thoroughly reprimanded for his lapse in judgment… you saw to that personally, might I add. I think we can be more careful… maybe not be around him when he's practicing and stuff like that. Maybe you, Jasper, and Alice can keep a better watch on him. He's only been here for a day. What he did was wrong, but I think he understands the consequences now, don't you Fred."

"I really don't get you, Bella," Fred shook his head slowly from side to side. "Edward's reaction makes a lot more sense than yours." Fred looked down at the table.

"Would you like me to beat you up, too?" He looked up to see me grinning at him, and then let out a surprised guffaw.

"You know, I wouldn't be altogether shocked if you could," he answered.

"So," Carlisle cut in, "we've heard a little from both sides on the matter at hand. Shall we take a vote? All in favor of giving Fred another chance?"

Esme, Emmett, Carlisle and I raised our hands.

"All those opposed?"

Edward, Jasper, and Alice raised their hands.

"Rose, dear, you didn't vote," Carlisle pointed out.

"I abstain," she said calmly.

"Why?" Carlisle asked. "I mean, you can abstain if you want to, but can you explain why?"

"Simple. I don't really want Fred to leave, but if he eats Bella, I don't want to have voted for him to stay."

Edward abruptly stood up, leaning across the table and scowling at Rosalie. "If there's a doubt in your mind that he might kill Bella, don't you think your vote should be an automatic no?"

She stood to face him. "There's a doubt in my mind that Jasper might kill Bella, but you don't see me voting him out of the house, do you?" she snapped as she sat back down in a huff.

The room erupted.

"Rosalie! How can you say something like that? Jasper is a member of this family," Esme defended him.

"That's my husband you're talking about here!" Alice shouted at the same time. Others began yelling out their indignant comments, the voices becoming a blur very quickly.

We all felt the same wave of calm settle over us and we looked to Jasper, who was, of course, the source of it.

"As much as I appreciate my sister's strong support," he glared a Rosalie for just a second, "there is some truth to what she's saying. When you bring a human into a house of vampires, there are some inherent risks. What we need to decide is whether or not we think Fred is more of a risk than the rest of us."

"Being the human in question," I started as I ran my thumb over Edward's hand, "I'm willing to give Fred the benefit of the doubt."

Edward tried to interrupt, but I quickly added, "Now, before you say I have no sense of self-preservation or whatever else you always say, I really have no death wish here. If I thought there was a pretty good chance that I might be in danger, I would say 'He leaves or I do.' After what happened today, I think Fred really has learned that his gift is not a toy and he can't use it to play around with people's lives. Also, there are consequences to his actions around here that he's never had to face before."

"That's the understatement of the decade," Fred mumbled, holding up his formerly detached arm as Exhibit A.

"I would say I'm sorry about that, but I'm not," Edward growled under his breath.

"I didn't mean to imply that you would be," Fred replied quietly.

"If we set some very stern ground rules for Fred, perhaps this situation can still be salvaged," Esme hoped aloud.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes," Fred offered. "I really do like you guys, and honestly, I don't want to face that Vulture guy alone."

"Vulture guy?" Emmett asked.

"He means Aro," Carlisle started to explain, but then stopped himself. "Never mind… you had to be there."

Emmett grumbled something about always being left out, but we mostly ignored him.

"So, let me get this straight. We're just going to let Fred stay despite the fact that he pinned us all down and threatened Bella? Esme, you're willing to risk Bella's _LIFE_ on Fred's ability to control himself? Think about the stakes here. We chose to be obligated to each other, but we're not obligated to Fred," Edward argued rather loudly.

"If I may…" Carlisle interrupted in an effort to break the growing tension. "I believe Fred learned a valuable lesson today, and I seriously doubt he'll make the same mistake again. Can I guarantee it? No, but I can't guarantee Bella won't trip over a crack in the sidewalk and fall and break her neck, either. No, offense, Bella," he said as an aside to me.

"Oh, none taken, I'm sure…" I drolly replied.

"The point I think you are overlooking, Edward, is that before today's incident, he hadn't learned this lesson and he still didn't hurt Bella, so I have to think, now that he is more aware, he would even be less likely to do so."

"Carlisle, I always appreciate your logic," Edward responded, "but we're not talking about something inconsequential. I don't think we should be 'playing the odds' here. If you're wrong…"

"Edward, look at me," I spoke softly as he met my eyes with his. "Our whole relationship is about 'playing the odds.' I mean, we're the only vampire/human couple that's ever been engaged to be married, making us, what? One in a few billion? If we'd played it safe, we wouldn't be together."

"Well, maybe it would have been…" Edward started.

"If you're going to say maybe it would have been for the best, I'm going to have Emmett beat the crap outta you and then I'm going home. Alone. So be careful about the next words that come out of your mouth."

Eight stunned vampires stared at me. I was rather shocked at my own anger that seemingly bubbled up out of nowhere. Except I knew exactly where it came from. I hated it when Edward second-guessed our relationship. His lack of confidence in the fact that we belonged together fueled my insecurities about him leaving me again.

Attention soon turned to Edward, all present wondering exactly what words would come out of his mouth next. He pushed his chair back and got down on one knee in front of me. "I wish I could tell you that you were completely wrong about what I was going to say, but I can't. I'm sorry, Bella. _Of course_ we belong together. _Of course_ it's for the best. When I'm with you, I'm the happiest man in the world. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. The only reason I have doubts is because I'm not worthy of you and I always think you could do better…"

"Well, I think you could do better, too, so there!" I argued.

"That's ridiculous. There is no 'better' for me. You're the one, Bella."

"So, when you say it, it's true, and when I say it, it's ridiculous? You're _MY_ one, Edward! There's no 'better' for me, either."

I heard gagging sounds and assumed they were coming from Emmett, but was surprised to see they actually emanated from Fred.

"Get a room," he chided, looking disgusted. "If I wanted to watch soap operas, I could just turn on the TV."

Everyone laughed, including me – excluding Edward and Jasper.

"Would you like me to remove your other arm for you?" Edward asked angrily, although the gleam in his eye told me he was partially joking.

In a tiny, Minnie Mouse-type voice, Fred squeaked, "No sir."

I just shook my head. I had the feeling Fred had never been mature as a human, either.

Edward shook his head as well, probably thinking the same thing. He turned to me. "Bella, if you really want Fred to stay, I guess I won't oppose you on it." But then he turned to Fred, pointing a menacing finger at him. "I'll be watching you. Very closely. If I even get a HINT that you might do something like you did today, 'that Vulture Guy' will be the least of your worries. Are we clear?"

Fred only nodded, wisely choosing to lose the comedy act for the moment.

"Thank you, Edward," I gushed, throwing my arms around his neck. "Fred has sort of become the family… _pet_, and everyone knows, once you name them and feed them, they're yours for life."

Fred laughed at the reference. "Touché, Ms. Swan. Touché, indeed."

Carlisle brought the conversation back to the topic at hand. "So, Jasper and Alice, you voted no earlier. Have your votes changed as well?"

"Yes," Alice said at the same time Jasper said, "No."

"Ladies first," Jasper gestured to his wife.

"Things were up in the air until Edward changed his mind, but now I see only one scenario where Fred might want to hurt Bella, and that involves her putting him on a leash," she giggled. I joined her, imagining that scenario.

"Maybe he needs a leash," Edward said under his breath.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked, ignoring Edward's comment.

"Fred's emotions are all over the place. One second, he's ashamed, then he's giddy, then he's angry, and smug and excited and sad and hopeful and guilty… I can hardly keep up! In my mind, all this adds up to one thing – unpredictable. And in my world, unpredictable equals dangerous. But, if Alice says it's going to be OK, and Edward is agreeable, albeit begrudgingly, who am I to stand between a girl and her pet vampire?" He grinned at me.

"OK, then, we're all in agreement?" Carlisle overlooked Edward's continued grumblings. When no one spoke, he made the pronouncement. "Alright, Fred can stay, but…" he turned to face Fred, "…you won't get another chance. This is it. If there is a next time, you won't have to worry about Edward and Jasper killing you. I'll do it myself. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Yes, I understand. I'll try my best," Fred whispered sincerely.

"No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try," Emmett rather impressively impersonated Yoda. Fred chuckled, but at least had the decency to put his fist over his mouth.

Rose smacked her husband on the back of the head, then turned to Fred. "Rule 1: No eating Bella. Rule 2: No pinning us down. Rule 3: Do not use the words 'I'll try' in front of Emmett. Now I'm going to have to listen to his Yoda impressions for the next decade."

"Listen, you will," Emmett continued, earning him another pop to the back to the head. He rubbed it, looking annoyed at his wife. "Hmmm… the force is strong in this one."

The family meeting was quickly devolving. Carlisle tried to bring order, but it was too late. Emmett was already up from the table, joking in Yoda-speak while dodging strikes from Rosalie. Jasper was egging him on because, well, that's what Jasper did best, and Alice and I were giggling at the antics.

Edward looked exasperated because, well, that's what _HE_ did best, and Esme, although trying to be supportive of her husband, couldn't help but let out an occasional snicker that she tried to cover with a cough, but of course vampires didn't need to cough, so the charade was wasted.

Fred, on the other hand, raised his hand, waiting patiently to be acknowledged by Carlisle.

"Yes, Fred?"

"May I be excused from the table?" Fred asked.

"What nice manners you have!" Esme exclaimed. "Em, you could learn a few things from Fred."

"Brown noser, you are," Emmett Yoda'd at him.

"Yes, Fred, of course you may be excused, but I think that's a human tradition for when people are done eating," Carlisle mused.

We all left the table. I stood watching the activity in the house and smiled. This crazy group was going to be my family. Forever. A truly terrifying thought.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Just wanted to let you know that this story has been nominated for a "Shimmer Award" in the category of Best Comedy. (Thank you, Camilla10, for the nomination! Check out her three stories that were nominated, too!)

Six of the nine stories in the comedy category have over a thousand reviews, so it's not like I expect to win or anything, but it made me ridiculously happy just to see my name on the list. If you'd like to take a look, the nominations are at shimmerawards (dot) blogspot (dot) com (slash) p (slash) nominees (dot) html. YAY!

~..~

Chap 18

Alice handed me her phone. "You should call Charlie."

"I have my own phone, you know."

"Are you sure? Check again," she smiled.

Puzzled, I reached into the front pocket of my jeans. "Ha! It's right here! The almighty Alice is WRONG! In your face, Miss I-Can-See-Everything-All-The-Time," I taunted.

"Why don't you dial it?" Alice said in a sing-song voice.

I flipped open the phone only to find the battery was completely dead.

I rolled my eyes at her as she stuck her tongue out at me. "You should keep your phone charged," she said. I begrudgingly took her phone and called Charlie.

"Alice?" he answered.

"No, Charlie, it's me. I'm just using Alice's phone."

"Where's your phone?" he asked, always the cop with the interrogation.

"I forgot to charge it, so Alice let me use hers."

"You know, Bells, a dead phone doesn't even make a good paperweight. What if there was an emergency?"

"Uhh!" I exclaimed with irritation. "There are three other phones in the car with me! Sheesh! Sometimes I think you and Alice are in league with each other to lecture me to death!"

Charlie chuckled. "I always knew I liked that girl… So, are you on your way home from _Bellingham_ today?"

A spike of fear shot up my spine at the way he emphasized the town's name. "Y-yeah, we'll be home soon."

"Is there anything you want to tell me about your trip north?" he led.

"Just a second," I answered as I covered the phone with my hand. "Alice!" I hissed, motioning for her to come over to me. She was there before I could even register it. "What does Charlie know?"

"Oh, so now you're expecting information from Miss I-Can-See-Everything-All-The-Time, eh?" She casually glanced at her fingernails, pretending to examine them, giving me more time to panic.

"Alice, this is no time for games!" I huffed.

She held up one finger, nodding in agreement, and closed her eyes to better concentrate. Her eyelids began to flutter and she started to sway like she was going to pass out.

"What is it, Alice? What do you see?" I whispered anxiously.

"I see…" she paused dramatically, "I see… you apologizing profusely to get some information from me, but it's not going to work because you're a big meanie. So there!"

"Alice!" I whined. "I'm sorry! I was just kidding. Come on! Please?" We could hear my dad calling my name through the phone.

"Even though your little apology was lame, I guess I can share my infinite knowledge with you… this time. So, Charlie just might know that our IDs were run by the park ranger."

"How?"

"Officer Mitchell called him after he saw _FRED_," she spotted him across the room, narrowing her eyes at him, "in the backseat of the car. He called your dad to make sure you got home safely. And now you owe me!"

_Thank you_, I mouthed to her as I brought the phone back to my ear.

"Yeah, Charlie… I'm here. Actually, I do have something to tell you. Yesterday, we had a little picnic and went to this park Jasper recommended and Edward lost our park pass, so we got in just a little bit of trouble with the park ranger, but nothing bad happened." It all came out in one breath, and it was almost the truth, for which I congratulated myself.

"So, it was just you, Edward, Jasper and Alice?" he asked, still in officer-questioning-a-suspect mode.

"Yep, just us," I lied a little too easily. "Why?"

He parlayed his phone conversation with Officer Mitchell and I tried my best to laugh it off.

"Oh, dad, that's ridiculous. First, who would be in the car with us? We don't know anybody up there. And second, how would we get another person into the car right under his nose? That person had to come from somewhere, right?"

I could almost see him rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I suppose so. He just sounded awfully sure of himself. He said the lady in the booth didn't remember a group matching your description coming into the park, either…."

I swallowed hard. "I'm sure they see a lot of people…"

"Yeah, but they weren't busy, and you have to admit, those Cullens sort of stand out in a crowd. You'd think she would remember them, at least."

I could tell Charlie was choosing his words carefully. He knew any sort of implication that the Cullens would be viewed as freaks by most people would set me off, and frankly, he was right.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Charlie," which was absolutely true. I had no idea what to tell him, but it didn't stop me from continuing to lie through my teeth. "As far as I know, there's only one way in and one way out of that park if you're in a car."

"Yeah, I guess that's true enough. I did ask if you might have come in some other way, but the officer told me there is only the one public entrance."

"Too bad they don't have security cameras, because then this whole subject could be put to rest," I told him.

"How do you know they don't have security cameras?" he asked, suddenly sounding alarmed.

"Dad! I'm a cop's daughter. You think I can't figure this out on my own? Obviously if they had cameras, they would just watch the footage, right? If they had it on film, they wouldn't be calling you to ask all this stuff!"

"Oh…" he chuckled nervously. "Yeah, you're right. Although I was pretty surprised to find out they don't have cameras, what with the potential for terrorist activity and all. And before you say it, no, I don't think you're harboring terrorists."

"Well that's a relief, at least. Yeah, dad, we're smuggling invisible terrorists out of Canada… Ooooohhh," I teased, although that's pretty much exactly what we had done. If he wanted to, Fred could be a lot more terrifying than anything the Middle East could throw at us.

"Are you making fun of your ol' dad?" he snickered.

"Maybe just a little…" I answered with a giggle.

"I'll tell ya, I was on board with the officer's story until he mentioned something about his truck having all these crazy electrical problems, even though their shop couldn't find one thing wrong with it," Charlie mused. "I started to wonder if he really was just seeing things that weren't there."

"We thought he seemed a little stressed at the time. Maybe he needs a vacation…" I offered.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that, although I'm not sure what a park ranger would need a vacation from..." Charlie scoffed. I could tell he didn't think patrolling a park counted as real law enforcement. "It's just, after that bizarre sickness thing in BC, I didn't like the idea of you being so close to it."

"Nothing happened where we were. The park was more peaceful than its name."

I was hoping to deflect the conversation away from the Riley Park incident in Vancouver, but had no such luck.

"Strange thing, that sudden sickness thing up there," Charlie continued. "They keep trying to enhance that one video, but the more they try to zoom in, the fuzzier it gets. Too bad that guy only had his cellphone and not a real camera…"

"Yeah, too bad…" I muttered, suddenly very glad we weren't having this conversation in person. I'm sure all the color had just drained out of my face. Charlie would have taken one look at me and known something was up.

"Well, Bells, I'll see you soon. You know, I don't ask much of you, especially since you're 18 now, but you know if you change plans, you're supposed to call me. When I found out that you had your ID checked at the Canadian border, well… it makes me think you're up to something."

"Dad," I said, trying to soften him up, "all we were 'up to' was a picnic in a nice park. We always planned to have a picnic. I just didn't know we were going so far north, that's all. I would have called if I'd thought it would be a problem. Believe it or not, I'm not making any kind of extra effort to see you age prematurely."

"Oh really?" he asked incredulously. "Phoenix? Italy? If that's not supposed to age me, I don't know what is."

"OK, fair enough," I admitted. "I'll amend that to say I'm not trying to do anything ELSE to age you, OK?"

He laughed. "Well, I suppose… Anyway, when do you think you'll be back?"

"Well, we're just leaving Port Angeles, so about half an hour?"

He sputtered. "Is Edward driving? You tell that boy he'd better slow down. Even on a sunny day, that drive takes at least 45 minutes. I know he has a fast car, but if he can make it here in half an hour, he's driving way too fast! He's got precious cargo on board… _MY_ precious cargo."

"OK, Charlie, calm down. Remember? No premature aging?" I laughed

"Alright, alright, I'll try, but you tell that speed demon boyfriend of yours to slow it down or else."

I actually snorted. "OK, I will. Oh, hey, I have some leftover pizza we can have for dinner, OK?" I didn't mention it was enough to last us a week, not that I was planning to bring home all the leftovers. There would be no way to explain that.

"Sounds good. See you in…," he paused, "…44 minutes and not a minute before."

"Make it an hour. Edward is dropping off Alice and Jasper before taking me home."

"Make it an hour and five minutes, then," Charlie countered.

"OK, sounds good. Bye," I laughed as I hung up. I turned to frown at Alice. "That was a close call. Thanks a lot for all your help!"

"I didn't have to tell you anything, remember. Besides, you _should_ be thanking me. You're a much better liar when it's off the cuff."

She winked and I rolled my eyes at her, signaling the end of our argument about nothing.

"Speed demon, huh?" Edward asked. "Well, he got the demon part right…"

"Oh, stop it," I chastised, "but he did get the 'speed' part right. If he saw you driving, he would develop wrinkles and gray hair on the spot!"

"You know I'm always in control of my car…"

"Yes, but Charlie doesn't know that, and honestly, even I'm not 100 percent convinced all the time. I still can't quite get used to breaking the sound barrier."

"That's because your truck can barely break the snail's pace barrier," he laughed.

"Are you trying to be funny?" I asked, feigning insult. "Emphasis on the word _trying_?"

"I thought I was, but suddenly I'm not so sure." He looked down, apparently attempting to appear timid, but his bright smile gave him away.

"You definitely are _trying_. As in trying my patience, trying my tolerance, trying my last nerve…" I teased as he pulled me close for a sweet kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him tight to me. "So, what are we going to do for the next hour?" I asked suggestively.

"I'm guessing you'd decline an offer of tiddlywinks or Yahtzee. We used to have Hungry Hungry Hippos until Emmett destroyed it."

"That hippo wasn't nearly hungry enough," Emmett protested from the living room. "I wanted a ravenous hippo. He wasn't meeting my marble-eating expectations and therefore had to be smashed."

Rosalie smacked the back of his head… again.

He rubbed the spot, whining, "Rosie! I told you to quit hitting me!"

"I told you to quit being a moron, but it hasn't stopped you. I had no choice but to resort to violence," she retorted, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

"Women," he grumbled. "Can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em."

"Don't you mean 'without' them?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, well, I notice you don't have one, so that's easy for you to say," Emmett answered dismissively.

"That's true, but I wish I did," Fred sighed, mooning over Rose once again.

While Fred was absorbed with all things Rosalie, Emmett gave me the high-sign. It was our signal for the prank I had planned, but I shook my head to indicate this was not the right time. Emmett seemed to think it was, because he launched right into it. Once Emmett went off the deep end, there was no bringing him back, so Edward and I settled into the far sofa to watch the action.

"Are you saying you're a virgin? Do we have two, count 'em, TWO virgin vamps in our midst?" he teased Fred, managing to also get a jab in at Edward simultaneously.

"When I was human, I had plenty of women," Fred bragged. I suppose it could have even been true, but I wasn't about to ask any follow-up questions. "I haven't been a vamp very long, you know, and then there's the whole thing about them being doubled over in pain the closer they get to me. That seems to put a damper on the relationship…"

"What about Rosalie?" Emmett asked.

Fred looked taken aback. "What about her?"

"She doesn't get sick when she's around you."

"Sooooo….?"

"Well, I was just thinking if you wanted to see what it's like to be with a vampire woman…" Emmett trailed off, leaving the proposition hanging out there.

Fred gaped, glancing back and forth between him and Rose like he was watching an imaginary tennis match. Of course, he was waiting for her to knock Emmett flat on his ass at the mere suggestion, but much to his surprise, she just smiled bashfully at him.

"Well, Em," Rose purred, "If you don't mind… Fred is awfully sweet."

I wasn't sure who yelled "WHAT?" the loudest, Fred, Carlisle or Esme, but the latter two only had themselves to blame. They'd wanted to be excluded from the prank.

"Of course I don't mind, baby. I'll join you as soon as my game is over," Emmett cooed back.

"What?" Fred again exclaimed loudly. "Are you talking about a threesome?"

"No, of course not!" Emmett chortled heartily, like he'd never heard anything so ridiculous in his life. "Well, not exactly, anyway… I mean, the first time, Rosie just likes to watch, so it'll just be you and me, kid."

I was trying to look alarmed, but inside I was dying.

"Are you kidding?" Fred asked, shock clear in both his voice and face.

"Would I kid about something like this? This is what vampires do! Didn't Riley explain that to you?"

"No, he never said anything about it, but now that you mention it, some of the others did that stuff on the other side of the basement," Fred recalled. "I didn't know that was normal…"

"Oh, yeah, it's totally normal. Sometimes we have other women join us, sometimes men… or both… it just depends on what my Rosie wants. Sometimes she joins in, but she usually just likes to watch."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Fred answered, still looking bewildered. "But there are so many of you in the house. Don't you have enough without involving me?"

"Yeah, but she's tired of everyone around here. She wants fresh blood, if ya' know what I mean." Emmett waggled his eyebrows at Fred. "Video games are great and all, but I think it's time you and I really got better acquainted."

Fred's eyes were the size of dinner plates. He looked stunned. "Emmett… I don't know what to say. This is like a dream come true! All this time, it's been you all along. I was only flirting with Rosalie to get closer to you! If I'd only known that you wanted this as much as I did…"

"What?" Emmett shouted, looking to the rest of the family for support.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go upstairs. We can play video games later. I have some other games for us to play right now."

"Wait… What's going on?" Emmett asked frantically as Fred approached him, arms wide to give him a huge hug.

"Bella!" Emmett hollered and whined at the same time, as Fred wrapped himself around Emmett, leaning in for a kiss. "Stop it, Fred! Get off me! Bella, what's going on? You said this would be funny!"

I couldn't hold it anymore. "It is!" I started laughing so hard, I almost fell over as Edward and I made our way to Fred. He let go of Emmett and held up his hand so I could lightly high-five him. He and Edward smacked hands much more forcefully.

"Well played, my good man," Edward managed to voice through his howling laughter.

Emmett looked bewildered as the rest of the family joined in the merriment. Carlisle and Esme were both grinning, suddenly understanding what had just happened.

"Isabella Marie Swan. Did you do the joke turnaround on me?" Emmett accused.

"You should have seen the look on your face," Rose was barely able to say.

"Rosie? You're in on it, too?" he accused.

"What's wrong, Emmett? It's just a…" she motioned to all of us on the count of three, "harmless little prank," we all yelled in unison.

Emmett sat down on the couch, still looking bewildered at being the butt of the joke. Edward squatted down in front of him, looking very sincere, and was very sincerely trying not to laugh. "I'm going to tell you what you always tell me, big little brother. 'Lighten up! If people didn't love you, they wouldn't play jokes on you!'"

"That's bullshit, Edward. I just tell you that to make you feel better!" he groused.

"Does it make _YOU_ feel better?" Edward laughed.

Emmett looked just shy of murderous.

"Think about it, Em. If that joke was played on Edward or Jasper, you'd be rolling around the floor laughing your butt off and you know it!' I teased. "They'd never hear the end of it!"

"Yeah, well, here's the big difference. It's FUNNY when it happens to THEM!" he fussed before finally cracking a smile.

I regaled the family with the story of how I managed to pull a fast one over on Emmett and even he had to laugh.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sorry I wasn't in on this one," Esme giggled.

Carlisle nodded. "We should have known our little Bella wouldn't pull an Emmett-style prank."

"Yeah, well, just wait until you're a vampire, Miss Swan," Emmett jokingly threatened. "Then you'll be fair game."

"Don't forget – I'll be stronger than you for at least a year. And if I can out-maneuver you as a human, imagine what I'll be able to do with unlimited mind power!"

"You're gonna make one scary vampire," Jasper added. "All I know is that I intend to stay on your good side."

Everyone agreed that was probably a good idea, which made me laugh a lot. The thought of eight vampires being even mildly intimidated by a weak little human girl like me was beyond absurd, but I didn't mind it. In a way, it made me feel somewhat equal to them.

The hour had passed by quickly, but soon it was time for me to go home. We were all having so much fun that I didn't want to go, but Charlie would be watching the clock and I didn't need to give him any more reasons to be suspicious of me.

I said my goodbyes to everyone, hugging them all, except Fred. I assumed either he didn't want to be that close to my neck, or more likely, Edward didn't want him to be. He and I shook hands, however.

"Thanks again, Bella. If it hadn't been for your support… and I really don't deserve it…" Fred stumbled over his words. "I never was going to hurt you. I need you to know that, despite what I said."

I nodded. "I didn't think you were, but I have to admit, I wasn't sure. You actually scared the crap outta me toward the end of our little confrontation there."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear this again, but you really were brave, facing me down like that. If you'd started to cower or run or something, I'm not sure…" he trailed off. "We have hunter instincts, and when the prey is weak, well…"

"I understand. I guess it's a good thing you weren't my first vampire showdown…" I said. "You know, a year ago, I would've never had reason for those words to cross my lips," I added with a smile.

"I'm sure you're the only human alive who could cite multiple stand-offs with vampires," Fred snickered.

"Well, I've had some help," I peeked up at Edward as I wove my arms around his waist. He kissed my forehead softly.

"OK, OK… I can only take so much of this mushy stuff," Fred muttered.

As hard as it was, I broke away from Edward's beautiful smile and adoring eyes, saying one more goodbye to everyone before Edward drove me home.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I'm sure you realize I'm not the owner of these characters… I do enjoy playing with them a little, however. Hope you enjoy as well. Please review!

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Chap 19

The ride back to my house was peaceful. Edward and I chatted about nothing in particular, although I could tell he was thinking about something in particular.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you obviously have something on your mind. Are you going to tell me what it is?"

He sighed.

"That's all I get? A heavy sigh? Now you're making me worry."

"It's just… never mind. It's nothing. Really," he sighed again.

"You know, I'm supposed to be the one who sighs and says it's nothing. That's the girl's job. You're supposed to have to guess what I'm thinking about, not the other way around."

"Emmett always tells me I'm too in touch with my feminine side," he kidded, but now he looked apprehensive.

I had apparently touched on a sensitive subject without even realizing it, and of course that meant I had to dig until he told me the whole story. It didn't take much, as he was ready to spill after I simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"OK, OK…" he surrendered quickly. "It's just… we're engaged now and you haven't even mentioned telling your parents yet. You don't seem very excited. If you want to take it back, you can. I know marriage isn't really your… cup of tea. I was just hoping you would want to share the news with everyone. I know I do."

Now it was my turn to sigh. "Edward, it's not like that. You have to admit, I've been a little… you know… distracted lately. Victoria, graduation, murderous newborn army, Jacob, the Volturi threatening to kill me, and now dealing with Fred…," I ticked off on my fingers. "It's not like I've just been twiddling my thumbs over here. Plus, I'd like to give Charlie a little more time to start liking you again before I drop the M-bomb on him."

"That implies that Charlie liked me at one time, which I can assure you isn't the case. He was tolerant of me at best. He's always preferred the dog, so if you're waiting for him to form an Edward Cullen Son-in-Law fan club, it may be a very long wait."

"I thought you wanted to wait…" I reminded him.

"Waiting has always been about changing you, not about marrying you. If it was up to me, we'd already be married."

"If it was up to me, I'd already be changed," I retorted, perhaps a little stronger than intended.

"Bella, if you remember correctly, my love, you're the one who wanted certain… experiences while you were still human. I'm the one who insisted we need to be married before having those certain experiences."

"You can say the word 'sex,' Edward. It's not going to bite you," I teased.

"I know that!"

"Then say it," I challenged.

"Bella! I was raised to not speak of such things, and especially not to a young lady. It goes against my upbringing."

"Well, I was raised not to get married at 18. It goes against MY upbringing."

"Fine. Sex sex sex sex sex. There! Are you happy now?" I'm sure if he could blush, he would be red from head to toe.

"Yes, I'm happy, and a little turned on…"

"See? This is why it's inappropriate for me to speak of such things. No good can come of it."

"Oh, I think a lot of good could _come_ from it," I giggled at my own double entendre, especially knowing Edward would likely not understand what I meant. He didn't disappoint by the look on his face, although I did see that I was beginning to exasperate him.

"Bella, if you don't want to marry me, I wish you would just say so."

"Edward," I reached over to take his hand. "It isn't that I don't want to marry _you_. I love you so much, and I want nothing more than to be with you forever. It's just that… well, you know the whole idea of the 'M' word terrifies me. Considering I didn't know if I would ever get married, getting married at 18 seems like a pretty extreme thing to do. My parents are going to think I've gone off the deep end. Actually, what they'll really think is that I'm pregnant," I shuddered. "But I don't want get too much older than you, either, so we can't wait too long."

"Bella, do you see how you're giving me mixed signals here? If you wanted to get married tomorrow, we'd make it happen. If you wanted to wait 50 years, we'd make that happen. I just need to know what you want."

"What if I wanted to wait 51 years?" I asked with a sly smile, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible.

"I suppose I could wait 51 years, but 52 is out of the question," he quipped in return.

"I knew it! I knew you had limits. Ha! It was just a matter of time until the truth came out," I laughed.

As we pulled into the driveway and parked behind the police cruiser, he became serious again. "All joking aside, I would wait for you until the end of time. If you're not ready, I understand. I don't want to push you…" he said before pausing. "OK, truth? I do want to push you because I can hardly wait for us to say 'I do' before God and the whole world, but I'm going to try very hard not to push, OK?"

"No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try," I attempted my own impersonation of Yoda, albeit poorly. We smiled at each other, but then I decided it was time for me to be serious, too. "I'm not ready for tomorrow. And I'm absolutely not waiting anywhere near 50 years. I just need to know if I decide to postpone, even if it's at the last minute, that you understand it would never be because I don't love you… only because I'm just not ready."

"Are we talking about marriage or changing you?"

"Both, I guess. To me, they go hand-in-hand. The truth is, I do want to marry you, Edward, which in itself scares me to death, and I want to be changed shortly thereafter, which should scare me more, but it doesn't. I'm sorry about the mixed signals, but how can I explain what I'm feeling when even I'm not sure?"

"Are you telling me you're more afraid of marriage than three days of hellish pain a thousand times worse than you can imagine, where you'll die and rise to become an immortal blood-thirsty, potentially soulless killing machine?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a little silly, but if you asked my mom, she would say you just defined marriage, except the three days would be much longer and you only become a soulless blood-thirsty killing machine while going through the divorce."

"But she only knows her own experience. You're not her, Bella."

"I know, but I've seen so many divorces and even more unhappy people who stay in unhappy marriages. You don't think those people started off that way, to you? Nobody goes into a marriage thinking they're going to end up miserable and alone."

"Is that what this is about? You ending up alone?"

Was that was this was about? The sting of tears springing unbidden to my eyes answered the question for me. "Forever is a long time…" was all I could whisper.

That all-too-familiar look of guilt and self-loathing crossed Edward's face before he turned toward the side window. I hadn't wanted to ever see that look again, and especially not to be the cause of it, but until this wound was healed, we were bound to bump into it from time to time.

I reached over to touch his shoulder. "Edward?" I asked gently.

He flinched at the contact, not in surprise, but seemingly more in defeat. He continued to stare out the window. "Bella… the last thing I want is for you to be afraid. I don't know how to apologize better. I don't know how to convince you that leaving was the biggest mistake I've ever made and I will never do something so stupid and arrogant and utterly wrong ever again."

"I want to believe you, Edward. And most of the time, I do, but then there's this nagging part of me that says not to get too close again because I know I won't survive the next time."

"There won't be a next time, but I understand what you're saying," he admitted. "If I could go back and undo this, make it so I never broke your trust, never gave you reason to lose faith, I would do just about anything."

"I know that's not possible, but I often find myself wishing the same thing…"

"You know what I'm really ashamed of?" He shook his head in disgust before finally turning to look at me with wide, innocent, tortured eyes. "I'm ashamed of how grossly I underestimated your love for me. I think of all the things I'm sorry for, I'm most sorry for that. How could I be so… patronizing to the woman I love? I just made a unilateral decision like you were a child and I knew what was best for you. It sickens me to think about it."

I tried to say something, but nothing came out. Edward smiled slightly and placed a finger over my lips, silently telling me I didn't need to confirm or deny his words, as I could do neither without causing him and myself more pain.

"You're my mate, Bella. For life. I could never leave you again, and even if you decided you didn't want me anymore, I would never be able to stop loving you. I hate that I'm going to have to leave you for a few hours tonight before Charlie goes to bed! How could I ever, ever walk away? I've learned my lesson, Bella. I can't be without you."

My tears were now flowing freely and again, I wanted to say something, but words escaped me. I simply wrapped my arms around his neck and held on with every bit of strength I could muster.

As soon as I began to kiss him, he pulled away. "What's the matter?" I asked nervously.

"It's your father. He's watching us from the window."

I untangled myself from Edward and whipped my head toward the house in time to see the living room curtains move slightly.

"Can we pick up where we left off later?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course, sweetheart. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Edward hopped out of the car and jogged around to my side, opening my door. Just then, his phone rang.

"Yes, Alice, how may I help you?" he asked with a fair amount of snark in his voice.

"Oh, I see. Yeah, we can't exactly let that happen," he answered more seriously.

"OK, I will, and I'll tell her. I'm sure she'll be SO happy!" he replied sarcastically.

"Yes, yes… thanks for calling." He snapped the phone shut.

"What am I going to be _so happy_ about?" I asked.

"Alice is taking you shopping to get another shirt," he answered while opening my overnight bag and removing my turquoise blue hoodie. He dropped it onto the floorboard of the back seat before zipping up the bag.

"What's wrong with that shirt?"

"Nothing, until I rip it to shreds later," he said matter-of-factly.

"And what, exactly, did it do to offend you?"

"A lot, actually. Alice said your dad is suspicious about the Riley Park incident. They were watching the news down at the station and someone mentioned the hair color of the guy who got dragged… yours truly," he grimaced. "Your dad looked at it more carefully with that in mind and saw the two girls walking over… a short one with black hair and a taller one wearing that hoodie. If he found it in your bag, it would confirm it in his mind."

"He's going to go through my bag?" I asked.

"Bella, don't you think that's the least of our worries right now? A lot depends on nobody being able to identify us in that video."

"OK, you're right. It just creeps me out to think of my dad going through my clothes."

"Well, it's going to creep you out even more to know he's spent the past hour going through your room with a fine-tooth comb looking for that shirt."

"OK, eww," I muttered under my breath. "So, what do I say if he asks about it?"

"I don't know…" Edward contemplated. "Maybe say you lost it? Could you have left it somewhere, like at someone's house?"

I thought about it for a moment, then grinned at him. "You're not going to shred my shirt."

"I'm not?"

"No, but you are going to make it short-sleeved," I pointed to where he would rip the sleeves. "You're going to break into the school and plant it in the lost and found. If Charlie asks me where it is, and I can almost guarantee he'll figure out a way to work it into conversation, I can say I left it in my locker. If he's really suspicious, he'll get Principal Greene to open the school for him. If he finds my short-sleeved hoodie in there, it'll throw him off the scent, at least. I don't have anything else that color…"

Edward's phone rang again. "Yes, Alice?"

"OK, I'll tell her," he said with a chuckle.

I looked at him expectantly and he didn't wait for me to ask. "She said your plan is solid and it's really pathetic that you have so few items of clothing that even your fashion-oblivious father knows what you have and don't have."

I stuck my tongue out at her, wondering if she would see it.

The phone rang. Edward answered and hung up without a word. "Yes, she saw it," he dead-panned.

"Bah-dum-bum CHING" I pretended to play a drum set.

Edward laughed as he handed me the leftover pizza Esme had carefully wrapped in foil, and carried my bag to the house. Charlie opened the front door before we even made it up the steps.

"Hey, kids. Did you have a nice trip?" he greeted us warmly. We smiled and nodded, but neither of us said anything. It felt odd to know Charlie had a secret agenda.

Charlie took the pizza out of my hands and went into the kitchen. "I thought this was going to be warm," he grumbled.

"It's from last night, dad," I yelled from the living room where Edward and I had settled. "Just turn on the oven and lay it out on a baking sheet."

"I know how to warm up pizza, Bella. I may not be great in the kitchen, but I'm not completely inept," he groused.

"No, not completely," I teased. I was trying to keep the mood light, belying my feelings of betrayal that my father was essentially investigating me. I knew I was being ridiculous, of course. Charlie was a cop, first and foremost, and a good one at that, but the bigger truth was that he was right – we were the people in the video. I couldn't exactly argue my innocence. I just didn't like the idea that he was questioning it.

"So, Bells, I thought you would come home with some new clothes," he said as he came in and settled into his chair. "That Alice seems to be the dictionary definition of 'shop till you drop.'"

"I got a couple of things. Edward, would you get my bag?" He squeezed my hand a little, getting up to retrieve the duffle. I figured I might as well make this easy for Charlie and just show him the contents of the bag so he didn't feel the need to rifle through it later. Fortunately, Alice had actually purchased a few things for me after some of my clothes were stolen by Riley, so I did have a couple of new items for display.

I unzipped the bag and tried to hide my reaction to the first thing I saw. "Tags," I whispered to Edward as quietly as possible. Faster than the eye could see, he ripped off the tags that clearly said 'Alley Cat Boutique - Port Angeles.' Alice liked to shop there because they had cute stuff and Jasper sometimes called her 'Ally Cat,' which I thought was a silly reason to be a customer someplace until I realized Edward took me to dinner at 'Bella Italia' for the same silly reason.

The point was, the tags didn't say 'Bellingham' and that would have been bad.

I showed Charlie the red shirt that was purchased to replace the one destroyed by the newborn army. I cringed a little at the thought of all those crazed vampires sniffing my clothes. Even if they hadn't ruined the shirt, I wouldn't have wanted it back.

I had some skinny jeans that Charlie thought looked too small. I pursed my lips and gave him a significant eye roll. He seemed to recognize the error of his ways, albeit a little late.

There was a skirt that I knew I would never wear, and a lightweight tan sweater that I really liked a lot. I dumped out the rest of the contents of the bag, noticing Charlie's interest piquing as his eyes searched the small pile of clothes. No turquoise to be seen.

"Umm… dad, I don't think you want to see the other things we got."

"Why not?" he said rather sternly, like he had just caught me in a lie and was ready to prosecute.

"Well, unless you're really interested in seeing my underwear…" I winced visibly.

"Oh… OH! No, I don't want to see it, and I most definitely don't want Edward to see it!" he exclaimed before he even realized what he was saying.

I blushed heavily. "Charlie! Oh my God, do you think you could embarrass me more, please?"

"Um, that's OK. I don't want to see it either," Edward murmured. If he could blush he would have, too.

"Oh, really? You don't? Well, that's nice to know…" I glared at him.

"Well, of course I want to see it, but…" Edward stuttered.

"Oh, you do, do you?" Charlie shouted. "I think you'd better stay away from my daughter's underwear if you know what's good for you. Remember I have a gun."

"Charlie! I can't believe you said that!" I was sure my face was 47 shades of red.

"Well, at least not until we get married!" Edward exclaimed.

Suddenly the room was deathly still. My mouth was hanging open, unspoken words lingering on my tongue as I tried to catch my breath.

"What did you say?" Charlie asked in a quiet, threatening tone.

Edward looked at me fearfully, worried that I would be angry with him. _I'm sorry_, he mouthed but it was too late. The damage was done.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Not my characters, blah blah blah, and please review!

Chapter 20

Both Edward and Charlie seemed to be having out-of-body experiences, although for entirely different reasons. This was not how we'd intended to tell my father about our impending nuptials, and that was the understatement of the decade.

The good news was, Charlie had forgotten all about the hoodie. The bad news was, he also seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, how to speak, and how to move.

"Charlie… don't panic," I said slowly like I was talking to a child. "Edward, it's OK. Both of you just need to breathe and count to ten before you say or do anything any of us will regret."

Charlie didn't wait to the count of ten. "You!" he pointed at me, "Up to your room. And you…" he said in an almost sinister voice as he pointed at Edward, "get out of my house."

"Daddy, calm down," I pleaded.

"Don't you 'daddy' me," he hissed, his eyes never leaving Edward. "Bella is not old enough to get married, and neither are you. Are you people insane? Do you have any idea what you're talking about doing here? You've known each other for what, 12 minutes? You're Bella's first boyfriend!"

"Bella is my first girlfriend, too," Edward shot back defensively, although I wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to defend.

Charlie looked a little shocked, but it didn't slow him down for long. "Is that supposed to make this better? Neither of you has any idea what it means to commit yourself to another person, especially not for a lifetime. You're talking about maybe 60 or 70 years here!"

"Maybe more," I murmured with a wink at Edward that I only risked because Charlie wasn't paying any attention to me whatsoever.

"Charlie," Edward started again, trying to maintain some sense of calm.

"You can address me as sir or Chief Swan, young man!"

"Dad, don't be ridiculous," I griped with a roll of my eyes.

"_I'm_ being ridiculous? You're the one who thinks she's getting married at 18! Or are you planning to wait until the ripe old age of 19?"

"Dad, please just listen for a minute, OK? I love Edward and he loves me. We belong together and we're ready to start our lives together. Is that so wrong? You were only a little older than me when you married mom."

"Yeah, my point exactly," he growled. "And look what happened! We were both too young and foolish and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and watch you do the same thing."

"Sir," Edward started, "Bella is legally an adult now, and…"

"Do you think I don't know how old my daughter is?" Charlie roared. Apparently that had been the wrong tactic.

"I only meant…"

"I know what you only meant…" Charlie shouted. It appeared anything Edward said was going to be the wrong tactic.

"Dad, don't yell at Edward. He hasn't done anything wrong here!"

"Oh, hasn't he? He asked you to marry him, didn't he? He's lucky all I'm doing is yelling!" he… well… yelled. "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to call Carlisle. I'm sure he'll make you see reason."

"My father knows. My entire family knows and they couldn't be happier."

"That can't be," Charlie contended. "Carlisle has always been a sensible man. He has to see how preposterous this is…"

"Sir, Carlisle knows me better than anyone, and he completely supports this marriage. Please call him. I'm sure he'd be happy to speak with you about it."

If it were possible, Charlie looked even angrier. "Is there a sane person left in this town? Just because you were able to dupe your father doesn't mean I'm going to fall for it, too."

"Sir…" Edward started again.

"OK, stop it!" I demanded. To my surprise, they both stopped and looked at me. In a rather daring move, if I said so myself, I crossed the short distance to where my father stood, red faced and shaking. I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder, which seemed to calm him a little, although he made no move to hug me in return.

"Dad," I began before almost immediately choking up, "I love you. You're a great dad. You've been there for me through thick and a whole lot of thin, and no matter what, I'll always be your little girl. I know I'm young, but we both know I'm not a child anymore, and really, I haven't been for a long time. I love Edward, dad. He's the one, and it doesn't really matter if we get married now or wait a few years or whatever. He will always be the one."

"Bella, you can't know that," he said quietly, although still very clearly frustrated. His arms remained taut and straight at his sides, his hands balled into fists. "I said the same thing about your mom and me. We made so many mistakes…"

"I know. But Edward is not a mistake. I can't guarantee anything as far as the future goes, but we both saw what my future looked like without Edward in it, and that's just not an option. I'm happy and I want you to be happy for me."

Charlie was silent for a while. I pulled my head back to look at him after my long, impromptu speech. He was only about half as red-faced, which was a good sign. "So, this is really what you want?" he all but whispered, the words intended only for me, although I knew Edward would hear loud and clear.

"Yes."

"And it's not because you're pregnant…"

I stepped back from him, incensed at his comment. "Dad! NO! I told you before… remember? Edward? Old-fashioned?"

"Yeah, I know what you said. It's just things can change…"

"Edward doesn't change, dad. At least not that much."

"Well, look at the time," Edward broke in. "I really should get home and let you two talk."

"Yes, maybe you should _go_," Charlie barked. He definitely wasn't referring to just tonight, either.

"Chief Swan, sir, I just want to say I'm sorry our happy news was delivered so poorly and was so unhappily received, but I swear on my very existence that I love Bella with everything I am and I will do everything in my power to protect her and cherish her every day of our lives."

"That's a right fancy speech there, Edward, but you're not all that original. I gave a speech very much like that to Renee's parents and look what happened to us."

At that moment, Edward seemed to have an epiphany. "Yes, look what happened to you. You know, I think you meant those words every bit as much as I do. _You_ didn't make a mistake. You loved Renee like I love Bella, and you've never stopped loving her, like I will never stop loving Bella. The difference is, Renee left, but we both know Bella isn't the type who leaves. She's loyal and faithful and never backs away from a challenge… traits she got from her father."

The truth of Edward's words seemed to sting Charlie. He looked a little dumbfounded and almost like he'd been slapped. He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. I had never seen my father genuinely, honest-to-goodness completely speechless. However, it didn't last long.

"Maybe so, but what about you?" he snapped as he managed to find his voice again. "You left with hardly even a 'goodbye, nice to know ya'! At least Renee had the decency to let me know what was happening. I watched my daughter waste away for months while you were who-knows-where doing God-knows-what. So, yeah, you're right – I don't leave when things get tough, but apparently you do. I was here for Bella. Where were you? You talk about love, but that's all it is… talk. When it comes down to it, you aren't man enough to stick around and that means you're not man enough to marry my daughter."

"Charlie!" I chastised him.

"Bella," Edward said gently, "he's right." He turned to Charlie and squared his shoulders. "I readily admit I am not man enough to marry your daughter."

"Edward!" Now I was chastising him.

"No, Bella. It's true. I'm not good enough for you, but for some reason, you've chosen me anyway. I tried to break us apart, to let you find someone who was better for you, but that nearly killed us both," he said as he smiled sadly and lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Turning back to Charlie, he continued, "I was trying to do the right thing by leaving, but I couldn't have been more wrong. As I told Bella, I've learned my lesson. I won't leave again, no matter what else happens, as long as Bella wants me in her life. If Renee had come back, realizing the error of her ways, and begged you to forgive her, would you have turned her away?"

"That's beside the point," Charlie grumbled.

"Sir, with all due respect, that IS the point. Bella had that choice, and the only reason I'm standing in your living room today is that she wanted me back. I don't even know how she could forgive me… I hurt her so much, but she did and somehow she still loves me. If you can convince her that I'm not the man she's supposed to marry, I will rescind my proposal. But as long as she wants me, I am hers."

"Despite what Edward says," I added, "he's the best thing that's ever happened to me, or will ever happen to me. Like I said, I can't prove it to you, but I know I'm right."

"Hmmph. Well, I guess time will tell," Charlie huffed. Edward and I shared a furtive glance. If Charlie only knew how much time he was talking about.

"I really do feel like I should go," Edward sighed. "You two probably have a lot to talk about."

Charlie nodded, and although I didn't like the idea of being left alone to face Charlie's interrogation, it was inevitable and I figured I might as well get it over with now.

Before starting toward the door, Edward fished into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. I recognized it immediately. "Will you wear it now?" he asked me.

"Why aren't you already wearing that ring, Bells?" Charlie queried with a bit of a mocking tone to it that I didn't appreciate in the slightest. "If you're so sure this is right, why haven't you announced it yet?"

I looked into Edward's eyes, which appeared to be asking the same questions.

I had to look into my own heart for the answers. "I am sure this is right. I've already told Edward I'm nervous about the idea of marriage, but not about marriage to him. At first, I was worried that people would think we _had_ to get married, which may I remind you was your first conclusion. Then I was worried about how you and mom would react. I knew it wasn't going to go well…"

Charlie grimaced a little, which would be his only admission that I had predicted correctly.

"I worried that people would think I was stupid for getting married so young, that I would never go to college, that I would… you know… change."

Again, Edward and I shared a moment of understanding that could only be between us.

"But just today I figured out the only thing I should have been worried about was hurting my future husband's feelings by not proudly wearing his ring."

I reached for the box, but Edward opened it and took the ring out, gently and joyfully placing it on my finger. His eyes were aglow, which was a good enough reason to wear the ring in and of itself. _I love you_, he mouthed to me. I smiled warmly, taking his hand and walking him to the door.

"Charlie, pizza," I reminded him. He broke out of his state of shock and hurried into the kitchen.

Edward and I went out onto the porch. "Thank you," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"That's the last thing I thought I'd hear tonight," he murmured. "I thought you were going to be furious with me."

"Well, it's not how I wanted to tell Charlie about our plans, but there was never going to be that whole welcoming-the-news-with-enthusiastic-hugs-and-handshakes like you see in the movies. I am surprised about one thing, though…"

He looked down at me with furrowed brows.

"You never did ask my father's permission for my hand in marriage," I smiled up at him.

He threw his head back in laughter. "I'm not THAT old-fashioned, Bella."

"You most certainly are!" Now it was my turn to laugh. "Everything about you is that old-fashioned!"

"I'll admit, I thought about it. If this had been another time, I most certainly would have, but in our case, I already knew what Charlie would say, and I didn't know what you would say, so his answer really wouldn't matter. Only yours."

"How very logical of you," I teased.

"What can I say? I'm all about the logic of love," he responded playfully as he picked me up bridal style and kissed me. The mirth in his eyes was soon replaced by dark passion as he deepened the kiss, pouring into it every bit of love and desire and excitement he was feeling.

As he pulled back to give me a moment to breathe, I took his face in my hands. "You know, pretty soon I'm going to be Mrs. Cullen and then we don't have to stop with just kissing."

"I like the sound of that…" his voice was husky and sensual.

"Edward! Where did that come from? I was trying to scandalize you with my naughty, naughty innuendos and now you're agreeing with me?"

"I told you I'm not that old-fashioned!" he protested in jest.

"Shall we put that to the test after Charlie goes to sleep?" I challenged.

"Maybe we will," he brazenly answered. "Maybe I'll just show you how far I'm willing to go, now that you're wearing my ring."

I felt a blush rise and my heartbeat accelerate as all kinds of visions suddenly played in my head.

"If you're very lucky," he whispered suggestively directly into my ear, "and I mean very lucky… I may just ask pa if I can hitch up the team and take you into town for a root beer float at the five and dime."

It took a few seconds to register what he'd just said, especially since it was not what I'd expected in the slightest. I smacked him on the shoulder. "Edward Cullen, you put me down!" I hissed.

"Bella! I was just playing!"

"How dare you suggest that I'm the kind of woman who would be seen going into town unaccompanied with a bachelor! And at this hour? Scandalous!"

Now it was his turn to look stunned.

"Gotcha!" I laughed and he immediately joined me.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he shook his head as his laughter died down. "Never a dull moment with you."

"That's going to be a lot of moments. Maybe I need to hire a team of writers to feed me material if I'm going to keep you entertained."

"I imagine by then we'll find some different ways to keep each other entertained," he waggled his eyebrows.

"Why, Edward Cullen! If I'd known wearing a ring was going to bring out this side of you, I would have put it on ages ago!"

He kissed me breathless a few more times before he had to go, but I knew he would be back fairly soon. It was never soon enough, of course.

Once the Volvo was out of sight, I begrudgingly went back inside the house to face the possible wrath of Charlie. He was still in the kitchen, plating up some food and grabbing a beer for himself.

"Good thing you reminded me about the pizza. A few more minutes and we would have had to call the fire department," he attempted to joke, but we both knew it was in vain. There was really no way around this.

"Dad…" I started.

"Bells, look, just between you and me, are you really happy? Are you sure you're doing the right thing here? What's the rush? Is Edward pushing you into this? What about Jacob?"

"Dad, slow down! One question at a time," I protested. "Yes, I'm happy, yes I'm sure I'm doing the right thing. I already told you that and the answer hasn't changed just because Edward went home. No, he's not pushing me. If anything, I'm sort of pushing him… in some ways, at least…" I trailed off.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie lifted an eyebrow.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. The point is, I know what I want and I don't see any reason to wait. I'm ready to make this decision."

"What about my other question?"

"Which one is that? You fired off about twenty of them in one breath," I smirked slightly.

"Jacob."

I shook my head. "I love Jake, dad, but he's not the one."

"He loves you, too, Bells. Billy told me. Can't you give him a chance? Maybe with a little more time, he could be the one…"

"He's just not, and he never will be. We spent months together and I do love him, but like a brother. I know he wanted more, but it's always been Edward."

I knew I wasn't getting through to him. Edward was right – Charlie always preferred Jacob for me and he didn't seem to want to hear anything else. I decided on a different approach.

"Dad? Remember mom's best friend from high school? The one who had a crush on you?"

Charlie nodded, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Well, from what mom said, that girl made it very clear she was interested in you… enough to cost them their friendship. Why did you pick mom? You had two girls in love with you, and by your reasoning, they should have just been interchangeable, right?"

Charlie smirked, knowing I had him. "Alright, Bells. Fine, fine. You win. For now, at least. I don't like it, not at all, but I'll try to accept Edward, if you're sure he's what you want."

"He is," I said for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"But just so you know, I'll be watching. If I see anything that raises any red flags…"

"I think you've seen all his red flags already," I chuckled, but more at my own thoughts than anything else. I imagined if Charlie knew Edward was a 100+ year old, mind-reading, blood-drinking undead creature of the night, he might consider that an additional red flag. But then again, if he knew Jacob was a werewolf, he'd probably think that was a red flag, too.

Charlie and I took our food into the living room, which was where we always ate when we had pizza. He watched some sort of 24-hour sports news, and I watched the clock. Every once in a while, I noticed him staring at me. Sometimes he shook his head before turning back to his program, sometimes he sighed, and once he bounced his fist off the arm of his chair. I wished I knew what he was thinking. I could get Edward to read his thoughts, but then again, maybe I didn't want to know.

When 9:00 finally rolled around, I yawned and excused myself to go to bed. Uncharacteristically, Charlie stood to wish me a good night, giving me a rather significant hug with the whole 'I love you' and everything. I wondered if this sudden sentimentality would continue, or if it was a reaction to the events of the evening, but decided to enjoy it while it lasted, since I would likely not see him much, if ever, after my change. This thought made me hug him a little harder.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I'm excited to have some new readers! Please review! It makes me ever so happy.

If changing my name to Stephenie Meyers would make these characters mine, I'd do it in a flash, but alas…

Chapter 21

I took a little longer, hotter shower than normal, feeling as if I could wash away the worries of the past few days by standing under the stream for a few extra minutes. The thought of my lobster-colored skin was the only thing that forced me to turn off the water. That, and I figured Edward would be waiting in my bedroom by now.

I dressed quickly and dried my hair before scurrying to my room. Edward was sitting in the rocking chair, waiting semi-patiently. I knew it was only 'semi' because he essentially launched himself at me as soon as he heard the door click and had us under the covers almost before I could blink.

"Eager, are we?" I giggled.

"For you? Always." He pulled me closer and kissed me with such passion, I thought I might be the first person to genuinely spontaneously combust.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Better than OK. Why?"

"Your heart rate is through the roof."

"It's just… you're so _exuberant_ tonight."

"Is it too much?" he suddenly looked concerned.

"Well, gosh, I don't know. Maybe we should experiment a little more."

His smile matched mine before his lips possessed me again. He moved over me, putting just enough weight on my body that I could feel every bit of him, but careful not to crush me entirely. My mind was distracted momentarily with wondering how much he actually weighed, but when his mouth left mine and began trailing ice-cold kisses toward my ear, I suddenly could not remember my question, nor my own name, for that matter.

The only things in the world at that moment were Edward's lips nibbling my earlobe, his tongue gently licking that spot behind my ear that made me crazy, and a growing hardness against the top of my thigh. He had always been rather careful to keep that part of his anatomy away from me, but tonight, for the first time, I felt him in earnest.

"Edward…" his name wafted on a gust of air from my lips.

I could feel him smile as he ran his fingers through my hair, pushing it back from my neck to give himself better access. I ran my hands languidly up and down his back, occasionally grabbing his hair to indicate he'd found an especially good spot and it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if he spent a little extra time there.

The only problem with this scenario was my ever-growing desire. I literally ached for him and everything I wanted was within my reach. I knew if I did anything untoward, he would bolt from the bed faster than we'd gotten into it, so I fought desperately to keep my urges in check. The only problem with _that_ scenario was the more I restrained myself, the more the tension in my body grew.

It didn't take long before I got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, and my need outweighed my ability to reason. I very slowly and carefully slid my hips directly under his and gently tipped them up until I finally found what my body craved. It was only a light graze of his cold hardness against my warm softness, but even through our clothes it sent what felt like fireworks to every nerve ending in my body. I had reached the outer edge of nirvana and all I wanted was to keep going.

At that moment, Newtonian law took over, which says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Edward's reaction was precisely equal and opposite to mine in that I couldn't get close enough and he couldn't get away fast enough.

"Bella," he hissed and then was on the other side of the room. As soon as my mind registered what happened, I felt that all-too-familiar, overwhelming sense of rejection like a punch to the stomach. I tried… I really tried not to cry, because everything had been so amazing and wonderful to that point, and it was my own fault for crossing the line, but I couldn't help it. My emotions overtook me as I rolled away from Edward, curling into a ball as far to the side of the bed as I could get.

Instantly he was behind me, pulling me to him, but all I could do was try to hold back my sobs. My logical mind knew I was being absurd… that he wanted me the same way I wanted him. There was every indication, and even more indication tonight than ever.

But my emotions told me, if he felt the same way, he wouldn't choose to stop. He would crave me, hunger for me, and not in a 'yummy, yummy blood' way, but the way a man in love is incomplete without his other half… his mate. Clearly, Edward didn't desire me enough or he wouldn't be able to withdraw from me time and time again.

"Bella… shhhh… Bella, darling, don't cry. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do that that, but I was about a half a second from losing control and I just can't allow that to happen."

It took me four hours to pull myself together… or 10 minutes, but it certainly felt like hours.

"Why not?" I cried, trying to stay quiet so Charlie wouldn't hear.

"I'm not following you, sweetheart. 'Why not' what?"

"Why don't you want me? Why can't you let it happen?" I whispered desperately, but then thought better of it. "Wait. Don't answer that. I don't think I can bear to hear it…"

He gingerly lifted me up and carried me to the rocking chair where he held me like a baby. I didn't really care because I felt like a baby anyway… a giant, ridiculous baby.

"Bella, do you really think I don't want you? Be honest with me. Is that really how you feel?"

I couldn't look at him, but I nodded. "Not enough, anyway…"

He sighed heavily as he ran his free hand through his hair. His head dropped back against the chair, which gave a slight crack in protest. I peeked up at him to see he was staring at the ceiling.

"This is one of those times where I would give just about anything to see what's going on in your mind. But right now, more than that, I wish you could see inside mine." He looked down into my eyes. I wanted to look away, mostly because I felt nervous and maybe even a little silly about my strong reactions, but I kept his gaze, knowing that my feelings needed to be addressed or they would just keep coming back to haunt us.

"Bella, if you could read my mind, you would see that you are the first and foremost thought in it. Yes, I think about your smile and those beautiful brown eyes and your hair and how cute your toes are…"

I couldn't help but let out the tiniest snicker.

"And I think about how smart you are, and brave, and giving and caring and all the wonderful traits that amaze me about you."

He shifted so he could look me directly in the eyes. "But more than I care to admit, I think about your body."

I gulped.

"Suffice it to say I'm really no different from any other 17 year old boy when it comes to you. And unfortunately, I've been in the minds of enough 17 year olds to know. Bella, the things I want to do with you and to you and for you… I think you might be a little shocked, honestly."

"Really?" I whispered.

"Of course! Aside from being a vampire, I'm also very much a man."

"Yes, I noticed… a lot," I murmured as my blush rose.

"And this whole waiting-for-marriage condition? Waiting is important to me… very important to me, but if it's going to make you cry and feel unwanted… well, nothing is _that_ important. And Bella, I want you so much, sometimes I can't even remember why waiting was important to me in the first place."

"Oh…" was all that came out of my mouth. I had to pause for a long moment to gather my thoughts. "OK, well… hmmmm… I don't know what to say to that exactly, but I suppose that does make me feel better, in a way."

If that was what I said when my thoughts were gathered, I was afraid to know what kind of nonsense would have spewed from my mouth if I hadn't taken time to sort everything out a little. However, I slowly came to a conclusion. "You know what? I think I'm OK with that. I think I'm ready now."

Edward gasped. "Right now? Here? With Charlie in the next room? Bella, I don't think that's a good idea."

"No, I'm not talking about _that_, silly," I laughed. "I meant I'm ready to wait. I'm not thrilled about it or anything, but just knowing that you think about me, you know… like _that_, well, it makes a huge difference. And really, Edward, how can I honestly say I love you if I'm selfish enough to take away something so important to you just because I'm impatient?"

Once again, I seemed to have stunned him into silence. "So, you mean if I had just been honest with you about how I felt, this whole thing could have been avoided?"

"I think that pretty much sums it up. In fact, that pretty much sums up a lot of our problems, don't you think?" I asked, but then backtracked quickly. "I don't mean just you… I've been feeling rejected for a long time and I never told you until now. To you, this is something that happened tonight. To me, it's been going on for a long time."

"Wait. You feel rejected? Rejected?" he reiterated incredulously. When I nodded, he sighed heavily again. "I really am stunned because to me, it's almost embarrassingly obvious that I want you like crazy. But then again, I'm sure having me push myself away from you all the time doesn't exactly scream 'I want to get in your pants,' now does it." We both laughed and I know I blushed something fierce. Edward had NEVER said anything like that before.

"OK, so in the spirit of full disclosure," Edward started.

"Nothing good can come from a sentence that starts out like that…" I interrupted, trying to sound casual, but my insides were churning. What was he going to tell me? My brain flashed through 50 different horrible scenarios before he spoke again.

"I don't think this is a bad thing. It's just something I didn't tell you. You know how I had to desensitize myself to your scent?"

I nodded.

"Well, tonight after you put on my ring, I decided I needed to start desensitizing myself to… other things…"

The way he trailed off, I knew exactly what he meant. "So, you were pushing the limits as… an experiment?"

"When you put it that way, it sounds much less sexy," he laughed, "but I suppose that's the gist of it. It's just like if I'd tried to kiss you the first day we met, there's no question I would have bitten you. I'd like to think I wouldn't have… ummm… finished the job, so to speak, but the truth is, I probably would have before I even realized it."

"Gosh, honey, you sure know how to sweet-talk a girl. What next? You were going to feed my remains to a school of piranhas?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he scoffed. "You just wait until you're a newborn. It's not that easy to stay in control, especially when faced with something so delectable…" He bared his teeth at me and aimed them for my neck. I squealed and tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp, giggling and batting at him until he planted a sloppy wet kiss right over my jugular.

"Are we OK now?" he asked tentatively.

"No," I answered, leaving the word hanging in the air long enough to make him ever so slightly uncomfortable. "We're much better than OK."

I wound my hand around the back of his neck and snuggled into his chest. We stayed like that for a while, me curled in his lap and him gently kissing my hair.

**-…-**

The next thing I knew, it was morning. I was in my bed, although I had no recollection of how I got there. I had to have fallen asleep in Edward's arms, which happened to be my favorite place to fall asleep.

I stretched and turned to find Edward smiling at me, which happened to be my favorite way to wake up.

"Good morning, beautiful." He sounded relaxed and happy, and even though he couldn't sleep himself, I knew watching me sleep was soothing to him.

"I could say the same thing to you," I cooed.

"Beautiful? Me? Nawwww… Now if you'd said ruggedly handsome, I couldn't argue that point."

"Oh really? Because my second choice was going to be 'pretty as a princess.'"

"No, I don't look good in a tiara," he said straight-faced.

"Dare I ask how you know?"

"One word: Emmett."

I laughed. "Obviously. Who else?"

"Well, I think Fred might give him a run for his money."

"Speaking of which, you should probably go home and get your car so you can come over officially and take me back to your house."

"It won't be long before 'home' is _our_ house…" he contemplated aloud before kissing me. I made a face.

"You know I don't like kissing with morning breath," I scolded him.

"I've told you a thousand times it doesn't make any difference to me."

"But it makes me self-conscious. Plus, I don't even believe you… your sense of smell is strong and right now, kissing me is like kissing an old gym sock dipped in sewer water."

He snorted. "Now you're just trying to turn me on."

With an exaggerated roll of my eyes, I shooed him off my bed. "Go get your car and I'm going to do some of those crazy, crazy human rituals like brush my teeth and eat breakfast and maybe put on some clothes. It's still a bit nippy outside."

He looked directly at my chest and grinned wickedly.

"Nippy, not nipply!" I chided and pulled up the covers. I could feel a blush starting to bloom in my cheeks.

"That's the great thing about having a cold chest. When I pull you close, I get all kinds of reactions."

"Oh, wonderful," I complained. "A whole new thing to be self-conscious about!"

He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I think it's beautiful."

"Coming from the man who thinks bad breath is a turn on."

He chucked and turned toward the window. "I'll be back in an hour. Is that OK?"

"Too long," I whined.

"You know Charlie doesn't like me to come over before 9."

"I know Charlie doesn't like you to come over at all," I teased, "but I guess I can wait an _ENTIRE HOUR_, for his sake…"

"You are the dictionary definition of 'long-suffering' my love," he joked. We shared a quick peck on the lips, then he was out the window and I was out my bedroom door to start my morning routine:

1. Bathroom and brush teeth (immediately, because eww)

2. Say 'Good morning' to Charlie

3. Cereal

4. Tell Charlie I'm spending the day at the Cullens

5. Watch him scowl and perhaps grumble under his breath

6. Brush teeth again, not as urgent this time

7. Get dressed

8. Wait 40 minutes for Edward to return

I decided to write my mom an e-mail. We still had to deal with telling her what we'd told Charlie, and I didn't expect it to go any better, although my mom wouldn't get angry. She was much more likely to take me on a guilt vacation. She didn't do guilt trips, like one would take a trip to the store. No, she would take me on the equivalent of a month in Europe.

I turned on my beast of a computer, which I presumed got the hamsters running on the wheel, and waited the obligatory four decades for it to load.

I'd decided to go with the 'breezy' approach.

'_Hey mom, Just wondering how you're doing… I'm fine. No recent brushes with death, meaning none today. LOL Edward and I have been spending a lot of time together, of course. Charlie is tolerating him better, I suppose, but I don't really see them sitting around drinking beer and watching sports 20 years from now… I wonder how Edward would feel about fishing? Never mind. _

_Anyway, we should talk soon. I have some good news and e-mail just isn't the place to share it. The phone isn't great either, but in person is a little tough when we're about as far away as people can get and still be in the continental US. _

_Well, Edward will be here soon. I'm spending the day over at the Cullens, much to Charlie's immense delight. **rolls eyes** He's going tackle shopping today. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? He actually looked surprised that I didn't want to go along! Does he know me at all? _

_Well, talk soon, mom. Love you! B'_

My mouse pointer hovered over the 'send' button for a little while. I thought maybe I should take out the part about the good news, because I knew the minute she read it, my phone would be ringing. She would know, or at least highly suspect what I was going to tell her. Still, it had to be done at some point. I couldn't very well call her after the fact and tell her 'oh, by the way mom, I got married yesterday.'

I closed my eyes and clicked the mouse. I sort of hoped she wouldn't see it for a few days, but with my luck, she was reading it at that very moment. Technology wasn't always my friend.

The next thing I knew, Edward's car was rolling into the driveway. I heard him knock and Charlie grumbled loudly up the stairs to me, which I'm sure was simply his eccentric way of joyfully announcing the arrival of his soon-to-be son-in-law.

"Good morning, Chief Swan, sir," Edward beamed.

"Oh, knock it off, kid. Charlie is fine."

"But last night," Edward started.

"Do you really want to remind me of last night?"

Edward blinked at Charlie before pantomiming locking his lips and throwing away the key. That was fine for my dad, but I would most definitely find that key and unlock those lips later.

I bounded down the last few steps and flew into Edward's waiting arms. He spun around with me, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. I felt dizzy and I wasn't entirely sure if it was from the spinning or the kissing, but either way, I was OK with it. My dad wasn't so much.

"Alright you kids. Geez. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of you… you know… with the ring and everything… You don't have to rub it in!" Charlie was blushing. I wanted to tease him about it, but thought that might be better saved for another day.

"Bye, dad," I said as I hugged him and kissed his cheek. He looked a little stunned, as we usually didn't show so much affection between us, but the slight smirk on his face told me he didn't mind too much.

Edward offered to shake hands, which my dad didn't seem to want to do, but then he grabbed Edward's hand and tried to squeeze it hard. Realizing this, Edward pretended to grimace just a bit. It made me proud.

We started out to the car, but Charlie stopped me. "Oh, Bells, it's still a little cold out. Don't you need a sweater or something? You used to have that blue jacket with a hood. I always thought it was a nice color on you. I haven't seen it for a long time."

And there it was. I had to give it to my dad. He was a clever one.

"Oh, yeah. You know, I haven't seen that for a while either, come to think of it," the well-rehearsed lie came out easily. "I used to wear it for gym. You remember the one, don't you, Edward?"

"Oh, yes, I remember it well. Alice hated that color on you. Maybe she stole it to save you from a fashion disaster."

Charlie looked dismayed. Edward quickly added, "I think it's a good color for you, too, but you know how Alice is…" He left the statement open to interpretation, but somehow we all knew how Alice was.

"Let me get your coat," Edward offered, already on his way inside the house. I didn't need a coat, but I wasn't going to argue the point. When he returned, he helped me into it.

"Better? Or do I need a scarf and a hat and some fuzzy mittens, too?" I snarked at Charlie.

"Hey, give your old man a break. I was just looking out for you!"

We shared a smile. "Sure, sure… whatever. I'll see you tonight." We turned to the car, Edward opening my door.

Charlie yelled, "You keep the speed down. I'd hate to have to give you a ticket!"

"Yeah, I bet you'd just hate that," I sassed with a laugh. He waved me off went back into the house.

"He still hates me," Edward mumbled after we got settled and backed out of the driveway.

"He doesn't hate you."

"Bella," he tapped his temple.

"Well, you _are_ taking away his only daughter, you know."

"It doesn't have to be like that…"

"Yes, it does," I insisted. "Even if you were human and we were going to live next door, by marrying me, you're taking his daughter away. That's universal."

Apparently he didn't see the point of arguing with me, either because he knew I wouldn't budge, or because he knew I was right. I preferred to think it was the latter.

When we arrived at the Cullen house, Edward looked irritated.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Can we just go do something else?"

"Why? What's going on in there?" Now I was nervous.

He answered with one word: "Fred."


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Welcome to my new readers! I get ridiculously excited every time FF notifies me that someone has "favorited" my story. I especially enjoy reviews. Please leave one!

Chapter 22

I knew it couldn't be a dangerous situation or Edward wouldn't be giving me the option of how to proceed. Curiosity got the better of me. "Let's go inside. If we decide we don't want to stick around, we can leave later."

"Fine," he mumbled under his breath before whipping around the car to open my door. "I do have one condition, however."

"And that is…?"

"If Fred shows any sign of aggression or I think there might be danger, we're leaving," he said firmly.

"Fine by me. Despite what you all seem to think, I don't really enjoy the idea of a pointless death. I know danger seems to follow me around, but that doesn't mean I invite it along for the ride."

"Promise?"

"Promise that I'll leave with you, or promise I don't invite danger?"

He gave me his signature lopsided grin. "Both."

I rolled my eyes. "OK, fine. Promise to both."

When we walked into the house, the whole family was in the living room talking in bee-buzz. It seemed urgent, like something was up.

"Bella, sweetheart!" Esme sang out, rushing over to hug me gently. Everyone seemed so happy to see me, it was like we'd been apart for months instead of just one night. Even Rosalie said 'Hi' and gave me a little wave, which was roughly 100% more acknowledgment than she usually afforded me.

"So, what's going on?" I asked uneasily.

"Oh, nothing much," Emmett answered nonchalantly. "Fred and I went hunting, we played some X-Box, Aro called…"

"Aro called?" I was instantly alarmed.

"Yes, but there's nothing to worry about, Bella," Carlisle tried to soothe me, but it was Jasper's calming that actually helped.

"Maybe it's just a knee-jerk reaction, but whenever I hear Aro's name, I always assume it's going to be something bad."

"Well, it's not entirely good, either," Alice warned.

"No. Absolutely not," Edward blurted out. "Not happening."

"What?" I asked.

"It's not like we have a choice," Carlisle argued.

"A choice about what?" I questioned.

"We'll have to figure out something else. I won't allow it," Edward stated sternly.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded a little louder.

"What else are we going to figure out, Edward? Do you have some sort of magic plan you'd like to make us aware of?" Rosalie shot back.

"You stay out of this," Edward hissed at her.

"Don't you talk to my wife like that," Emmett reprimanded him.

"LISTEN! SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Instantly, the room became eerily quiet as I suddenly had the attention of all eight vampires there. "It's pretty obvious this is about me, so somebody just tell me!"

I saw Carlisle about to speak. "And don't sugarcoat it!" I warned him in advance.

He adjusted himself uncomfortably before attempting again. "Bella, Aro called for an update on Fred. He's very… interested in Fred's gift. He's becoming anxious to see him in action. He's not very patient when he wants something, and this may be the least patient I've ever seen him."

"So, why would Edward be upset about that?" It didn't add up. There had to be more to it.

"I'm not," Edward answered for himself. "I'm upset because Aro invited you to come, too."

"Oh. And I gather we can't just respectfully decline, right?"

"An invitation from Aro is the same as an order," Carlisle said ominously. "Nobody turns down an invitation. Ever."

"So why did he 'invite' me?" I made little quote marks in the air.

"I believe he's genuinely fascinated by you and wants to further test your abilities, while you're still human," Carlisle said.

I needed clarification. "Did he actually say that?"

"Not exactly, although it's often hard to get him to actually say much of anything, at least not directly. He did promise, however, that you would be completely safe. He would see to it personally."

"You might be willing to trust him with Bella's life, but I'm not," Edward spat.

"I hate to have to say it this way, son, but your willingness or lack thereof is immaterial. If you refuse, they'll just come and take her. At least this way we can all be there with her," Carlisle responded, trying to keep the situation calm.

Edward was still frustrated. "Even with all of us, we can't protect her."

"I can," Fred said quietly. Now it was his turn to be the center of attention. "I mean, I don't want to go either, but since we don't have a choice, exactly… I can protect us all. The bad part is, unless I can miraculously figure out a way to control my gift better, I'd have to put all of you down, too, but Bella won't get hurt and I won't let anyone near her."

"You'd do that?" I gasped. "You'd be making yourself an enemy of the Volturi."

"I'm already their enemy," Fred answered in a way that gave me shivers. "They just don't know it yet. Those bastards killed Bree for no reason. Now, before you say anything, Jasper, I'm not planning to attack or provoke them, but if I need to, I will defend myself… and my friends."

"Damn, Fred, were you reading my mind just now?" Jasper joked.

"Nope, just getting to know how you think," Fred smiled, tapping his temple.

"Well, I can't say I exactly trust you either, Fred," Edward stated rather bluntly.

"Edward!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

He put his hands in front of him as if in surrender. "Let me finish. I still have my doubts, but I suppose given the choice, I'd rather take my chances with you."

"Wow, Edward. Thanks for the glowing report there, buddy," Fred dead-panned. "Maybe you could be my advocate when we face the Vultures. That would be great."

"You'd better stop calling them 'the Vultures' before we get there," Alice admonished him. "It'll be habit and you'll say it to their faces, which I don't think they'd find amusing."

"I would," Emmett chuckled.

"Of course you would," Rosalie scolded her husband. "But you think human flatulence is funny."

Before Rose could stop him, Emmett put his hand over his mouth and blew, creating a loud, booming, rather disgusting noise. "Ahhhh… that feels better…" he sighed, patting his belly.

Rosalie smacked the back of his head, which he appeared to be expecting, but another smack came right behind it. He turned to find the source of the second strike. "Esme! Why did YOU hit me? I thought you said no hitting in the house!" he wailed.

"I said you kids weren't supposed to be hitting each other in the house. I never said I couldn't."

I had to giggle. She was only a few human years older than Emmett, but Esme was definitely the mother figure of the house.

"OK, well, Rosalie hit me. She's one of the kids. Whatcha gonna do about that? Huh?" he challenged.

"Yes, you're right. You've got me there, Emmett," Esme sighed dramatically, turning to Rose to mete out her punishment. "Believe me, Rosalie, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you."

She drew her hand back, then shouted, "High five!"

Rose smacked hands with her and we all laughed, except Emmett of course. "No fair! You girls always stick together."

"Rosalie is your wife, Emmett. I don't think I can punish her for hitting you. Besides, I'm pretty sure you vowed in at least one of your weddings to allow her to smack you when you said or did something stupid," Esme snickered.

"I was also wearing a baby blue tux with a pink ruffled shirt at the time. You can't take anything a guy says seriously when he's wearing something like that!"

"Oh, really?" Rose raised her eyebrow so high, I thought it was going to disappear into her hair. "So all that stuff you said about love, honor and cherish wasn't serious? Hmmmm?"

She turned on a heel and marched up the stairs. "Baby, no, that's not what I meant," Emmett followed her, apologizing profusely. He turned and looked scornfully at the rest of us. "Thanks a lot, Esme," he growled.

"You're welcome, dear. Anything I can do to help," Esme called back cheerfully. We all laughed at poor Emmett, but he did have it coming. He was lucky Rose didn't hold too closely to those vows or she'd be smacking him 24/7/365/eternity.

"So, where were we?" Carlisle asked rhetorically. Of course he knew exactly where he'd left off. "Bella, before you and Edward came in, we were talking about our impending visit to the Volturi. Fred is still concerned about Aro's motives. Fred?"

"Well, I think I've ruled out him wanting to kill me, or at least not right away. I mean, he knows where I am, so if he wanted me dead, he would just send someone to do it, right?"

"If that was his goal, yes, you would already be dead," Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Then he must be planning to make me join them." Fred was being much more reasonable than he was the last time we discussed this matter.

"Oh, I'm sure he wants you to join them, but you don't have to. He can entice you to stay, but it's against our laws for him to force you against your will," Carlisle explained. "I won't lie… it is possible he would try to blackmail you… if you refuse to join, he could say that you were part of an illegal newborn army, which is punishable by death, but since you didn't fight, he would be hard-pressed to make a convincing case against you."

Fred looked confused. "Wait a second. I thought he was like, the dude of dudes. Who would he have to convince?"

"I dare you to address him as 'That Vulture Guy, Dude of Dudes,'" Jasper laughed. Even Carlisle had to chuckle at the thought.

"I double dog dare you," Emmett yelled from upstairs, which was followed by Rosalie screeching like a banshee and a variety of heavy objects breaking against walls.

"Take it easy on my house!" Esme hollered up the staircase.

"They were… ummmm… just starting to make up. Let's just say Rose isn't exactly happy that Emmett was still paying attention to what's going on down here," Alice explained.

Fred winced. "Rosalie may be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but I think I'll just admire her from afar. A _way_ far."

"Good choice," Carlisle agreed quietly.

"To answer your question, Fred," Edward interjected, "Aro maintains power essentially because everyone agrees to give it to him, making him, as you so delicately put it, the dude of dudes. His guard is extremely loyal, partly because a vampire named Chelsea can strengthen the relationship bonds amongst them, but also because he keeps peace in our world. If he suddenly disregarded the law for his own gain, it could cause anarchy. He'd have to come up with a very good reason to get others to think of you as a serious threat."

"What do you mean?" Alice piped up. "Aro disregards the law for his own gain all the time!"

"In practice, yes," Carlisle clarified. "In theory, no. He's quite careful to maintain the appearance that he's upholding the law. He relies heavily on popular opinion, so sometimes he has to be very crafty and twist the situation around so it seems legitimate, especially when what he's doing is solely for his own purposes."

"Actually, I'm still alive today because he manipulated the law," I realized. "Technically, I should have been killed for what I know, but because he's interested in my ability to block his mind-reading, he figured out a way to allow me to live by extending the time limits on the law a little."

"Exactly," Carlisle concurred. "And may I say for the record that I'm glad he did." He smiled warmly and Edward pulled me close, kissing my hair. I distinctly heard gagging noises from Fred, but when I whipped my head around to glare at him, he was preoccupied with some invisible lint on his t-shirt.

"There is another possibility," Jasper mused darkly. "He might be trying to size you up, in case you decided to become a 'Cullen' for all intents and purposes. He already considers our family a threat for some reason, even though none of our gifts are particularly useful in an attack. If you joined us and Bella got vamped, there would be nine of us, and five with distinct gifts, yours being the most dangerous."

Edward joined the conspiracy theory. "Yes, and add the Denali family and that's 14 with two more gifts. Kate's ability could be considered an offensive weapon, even though she can't throw it. He could think we're trying to covertly build a force large enough to bring down the Volturi."

"Hmmm… that makes sense, actually. They conquered the Romanians, so surely they know the same could be done to them, although it would be much more difficult," Carlisle thought aloud. "The Volturi are fortified in ways the Romanians never even considered."

"Which led to their downfall," Jasper added. "If I had a mind to take over the Volturi, I'd use Alec and Jane against each other. If I kidnapped Jane and took off her head, I'd have Alec under my control. Then I'd make him incapacitate the Volturi, kill Aro and Caius, then Chelsea so their relationship ties would crumble, and Renata so she couldn't shield anyone…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I've thought about letting Marcus live, but I guess I'd have to play that one by ear."

"Strange that Aro might think we could be a threat to the Volturi," Edward chuckled. "Obviously none of us has ever even given it a second thought."

"Yeah, I think you should just go up and give Aro a big handshake, Jasper!" I laughed. "Maybe even a hug! I'm sure your thoughts would make him feel MUCH less threatened by the hapless little Cullen clan!"

"Fine, so I've given it a little thought!" Jasper defended. "Thinking about it isn't a crime."

"Tell that to Aro," Edward teased. "I'm sure he'd be overjoyed to know he's first on your hit list."

"Well, if Fred could hone his power, I would wipe out Jane and Alec first…" Jasper continued a little too excitedly. "Then Aro and Caius…"

"Will you quit thinking about that kind of stuff?" Fred hissed. "He's gonna read you and then kill me, and I'm not even the one plotting his overthrow!"

Jasper had the decency to look a little embarrassed. "Sorry, guys. Too many years in military strategy, I guess."

Carlisle put his hand on Jasper's shoulder. "Fred's right. We should try to keep those types of thoughts to a minimum. Aro can tell the difference between random thoughts and things we've spent time thinking about. He's been doing this for a couple of thousand years now, so he can sort everything out fairly quickly."

"Well…" Jasper hesitated, "I think we should try to keep his hands off me then, because I've already thought about it too much to play it up like a passin' fancy."

"I don't know, Jasper. I can't imagine Aro being able to keep his hands off you. I know I can't," Fred teased, blinking his long eyelashes and reaching over to pat Jasper's knee.

"You'll have to fight me for him," Alice joked with her fists balled up, dancing around like an old-time boxer.

"Aw, no fair!" Fred whined. "You guys are all matched up around here and I'm the odd man out. Aren't there any nice single vampire women out there?"

"There's the sisters in Denali," Alice said coyly. "But I think they're probably too much for you to handle."

"Yes, and he specified 'nice,' so they don't qualify."

"Edward!" Esme scolded him. "You take that back! They're our friends and you shouldn't be talking about them like that."

"He's right, though," Jasper joined in. "I like them and everything, but they aren't exactly nice girls, Esme, and I dare you to say they are."

"I double dog dare you!" Emmett yelled from upstairs again, followed by more crashing and screaming and apologizing.

"Do you think he'll ever learn?" Carlisle sighed heavily. We all just laughed.

Our reverie was disturbed by my phone ringing.

"It's your mom," Alice announced before I could even pull the phone out of my pocket. Of course she was right. "Just be up front with her and don't back down."

"So it's going to go well?" I asked timidly.

"Oh, heaven's no!" she said with a tittering laugh. "Don't be silly. But you'll get through it and it'll work out in the end."

"You'd better answer or it's going to go to voicemail," Jasper advised.

"I know. That's sort of my plan."

Edward took the phone from my hand and set it on the table. "If you're not ready to talk, just wait. There's time."

The phone stopped ringing, but I knew she would call back.

"Sorry, guys, but could I have a little privacy?" I asked, feeling a moderately guilty for kicking the family out of their own house.

"Of course, Bella. It's time for us to go practice with Fred anyway," Carlisle said with his always-reassuring voice. He turned to Edward and Alice. "Are those two done upstairs?"

"Oh, great. Now you've made me look! I've been trying to keep them out of my head and so far it's been working. Thanks a lot…" Edward grumbled.

"And…?" Carlisle prompted.

"Yes, it appears Emmett's last outburst ended their 'make-up' session, so they've made up as much as they're going to for now, thank heavens."

"Rose, Em, get down here!" Esme ordered as my phone started to ring again. "And this time make sure you're wearing clothes, Emmett. I'm warning you."

I picked up the phone, biting my lip before finally flipping it open. "Hello?"

"Spill it," Renee said quickly.

"Don't I even get a hello?" I asked as I waved goodbye to all the Cullens and Fred. Edward started to go, too, but I grabbed his shirt and shook my head at him. When I said I needed privacy, I hadn't intended to include him, which I assumed he would know.

"Of course you do. Hello. Now spill it!"

I sighed. "OK, are you sitting down?"

"Are you about to tell me that I'm going to be a grandmother?"

"NO! You're just as bad as dad! Geez!"

"You mean you've already told this 'news' to your father and not me?"

"Mom, slow down! We weren't planning to. It just sort of slipped out. We were actually hoping to tell you together." I caught a chagrinned look from Edward and squeezed his hand, letting him know once again that it was OK.

"Well, are you going to tell me? Are you and Edward moving in together? Because if that's it, I hope it's because you're going to college and not…"

I cut her off abruptly. "Mom, Edward and I are getting married."

There was silence. A long silence. A very long silence.

"Mom, are you still there?" I asked timidly.

"You're getting married?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, and before you say anything, I'm sure this is what I want. Edward and I are in love, but even more than that, we're committed to each other, no matter what. Mom, I know how you feel about marriage, and I even agree with you, but I can't deny that Edward is my other half. I didn't know this was possible, but I'm more 'me' with him than I am without him. I hope you can understand that."

More silence.

"Bella, my beautiful girl, I don't know what to say except… I'm so happy for you!"

Now I needed to sit down. Edward steadied me as I slumped into the closest chair. "Wait. What did you say?"

My mother laughed. "You heard me. I said I'm happy for you! What did you think I would say?"

I could feel tears welling in my eyes. "But you've always been so vehemently opposed to people getting married too young!"

"That's because most young people are too stupid to know what they're getting themselves into. But you're not like that. You've never been a giddy, silly teenager. And I know how you feel about marriage, so if you really believe this is right, I can't very well argue the point," she said, sounding entirely too logical to be my mother.

I decided to question that fact. "OK, who is this and what have you done with my real mother? I want to speak with Renee Higgenbotham Swan Dwyer, the one who raised me to despise marriage and puppy love and throwing my life away on some crazy we'll-be-together-forever fantasy that doesn't really exist except in Disney films. Where is she?"

Now my mother laughed in earnest. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm right here. And I take it back. You are a silly teenager! Did you really think I didn't see this coming? Of course, at first I was worried and nervous and maybe even a bit angry, but Phil was the one who brought me around. He was watching Edward like a hawk when you were here, and after you left, he told me he thought the two of you would be married within the year and he couldn't be happier with your choice. I'll admit, we had a couple of arguments over it, but in the end, I had to agree that the two of you were destined to be together. I've just been waiting for the announcement."

It was my turn to be silent. I didn't know what to say. Of course, it was then that I realized Alice had set me up to believe this conversation was going to be horrible. She would pay.

"I do have to say I'm disappointed about one thing…" mom interrupted my plot for revenge against my future sister-in-law.

"What's that?"

"Phil and I had a bet about when you would get engaged. He said this year, so that means he wins."

"What does he win?" I asked.

"I could tell you, but I don't think you want to know," she answered with a grin in her voice.

"MOM! Gross! I don't even want to know it's something I don't want to know!"

"Oh, Bella, you're going to be a married woman soon."

"I don't care how married I am!" I huffed. "Nobody wants to think about their parents having sex. That's just… disgusting!"

"Phil won't think so," she taunted. Edward was chuckling along with her. I couldn't glare at her, but I could at him. He just shrugged and kept on laughing.

"Is Edward there? Can I speak to him?" mom asked.

"Yeah, he's here. Just a second," I answered. I covered the receiver and hissed "Behave!" which only made him laugh more.

"Renee? It's Edward. I can't tell you how happy I am…"

My mother cut him off. I knew because she was talking so loudly, I could hear every word, even with my human ears. "You listen to me, boy," she started. "If you ever, and I mean EVER do anything to hurt my daughter, I'll kill you. Even if it's after I'm dead and gone, I'll come back to haunt you. Don't forget that Bella's father is in law enforcement and her stepfather is pretty good with a bat. I also have her friend Jacob's number, and according to Charlie, he's not your biggest fan either. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking out some revenge if I asked him to, so don't mess with me. If you're not one-hundred-thousand percent sure Bella is the one and only one for you, for the rest of your life, you'd better think about it some more. Even if you say you're sure, you'd be wise to think about it some more. I'm very serious here."

Edward's eyes were a big as saucers and his mouth had dropped open during Renee's speech. It took him a few extra seconds to gather his thoughts. "Yes, ma'am. I see that now. I fully understand."

"You'd better. I know I have a reputation for being flighty, and maybe it's well-earned, but not about this. We're talking about my baby here. You WILL treat her right or there will be consequences. Now, I'd like to speak to Bella again."

Edward wordlessly handed me the phone. "Mom?" I spoke anxiously.

"Yes, darling!" she answered, sounding as chipper and cheerful as a kid at the circus. "So, have you set a date? What can I do to help? I imagine Edward's mom and sisters will be doing most of it, since they're there, but I'd like to be as involved as I can."

"Slow down, mom!" I laughed, bewildered at her dramatic change of mood. "We haven't set a date yet, but we're thinking about mid-August."

"So soon?" she questioned. "Are you sure you're not pregnant?"

"Wow. Even dad only asked once," I grumped. "Since you're so eager to talk about sex, I'm still a virgin, mom, so I'm reasonably sure. Unless there was a random bird or bee you forgot to tell me about during the talk-from-hell when I was 13. Which remains one of the most horrifying conversations I've ever had in my life, thank you very much. Second only to Charlie trying to have the same talk with me."

"Oh, that would be horrifying," she agreed. I could tell she was wincing along with me.

"Apparently he didn't think you'd done enough damage to my psyche."

"Well, in our defense, we both worry about you. No matter what else happens, you're our baby girl. Just remember that and it will explain a lot of our seemingly random behavior," she laughed.

"OK, mom. I will. I suppose I can cut you and dad some slack, but don't let it go to your head!" I giggled along with her.

"Alright, my darling girl, you keep me in the loop and have Edward's mother call me. Charlie really likes her, and his father. And you tell Edward not to forget what I told him, OK?" she said sweetly.

"OK, mom, although I doubt he'll forget anytime soon."

"I'm glad to hear that. I love you so much and I'm very, very happy for you!"

"Bye mom. Love you, too!" I slowly closed the phone.

Edward and I stared at each other, somewhat relieved that it was over and somewhat confused by how it turned out.

My phone rang again, only this time it was Alice. I opened the phone and started to give her a piece of my mind, but she preempted me.

"When you asked if it would go well, I said it wouldn't, but I didn't mean for you! I meant for Edward!" Alice burst out laughing. "And he believes I can't keep my thoughts from him. HA!"

"What am I thinking right now, Alice?" he asked menacingly.

"That's easy! You're thinking you couldn't possibly have a better sister than me!"


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I forgot to mention before the last chapter that the Shimmer Awards are open for voting. I don't know for how long, and like I've said 4700 times (or twice), I'm not expecting to win, place, or even show, but it's fun to be nominated and get some votes. Ya know?

Ht tp:/ shimmer awards dot blogspot dot com / p / vote dot html

Anyway, I appreciate reviews much more! Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy.

Chapter 23

The next several days went by in much the same way, the outstanding features of which were the Cullens' almost militant training with Fred, and Edward allowing himself to very slowly and carefully further test the physical boundaries of our relationship.

Fred was having minimal success, but Carlisle was pleased with the small amount of progress he'd made; specifically, he could make one of them slightly less sick than the others if he concentrated really hard.

Edward, on the other hand, was having perhaps too much success, meaning he was making me crazy with desire. Now that he'd explained his need to acclimate to our ever-growing level of closeness, I no longer felt rejected when he pulled away. In fact, I was proud of him for trying, and I told him so. Often. He beamed with pride, which was downright adorable and well worth whatever suffering it may have caused me.

His new rule was "No touching where a swimsuit would be." Of course, I asked if I could pick out the swimsuits. He'd agreed until I showed him some pictures of what I had in mind. If he could blush, he would have been all shades. As it was, he acted like he'd been scandalized, but I didn't have to be a mind-reader to know he was picturing me in one of those very daring bikinis. The thought made me blush a little, too.

Several dates were looming on the horizon, and my personal schedule was filling rapidly.

July 7: Go to Italy to be tested and prodded by evil vampires.

August 13: Assuming I'm still alive, or at least undead, get married.

September 12 (or before): Become a vampire.

September 13: Not turn 19.

Carlisle and Esme had asked Charlie for permission to take me on their family's European vacation, a supposed graduation present for Edward and Alice. Charlie was fine until Carlisle mentioned Italy, which was apparently still a very sore subject for my father. After promising that I would be chaperoned at all times, Charlie agreed. I thought about reminding everyone that I was legally an adult and could go wherever I wanted, chaperoned or not, but decided to play nice in the sand box.

But there was something else pending that, frankly, I'd mostly allowed myself to forget in order to avoid. Of course, when I did think of it, I told myself I was too busy and/or it wasn't convenient and/or it would cause more problems than it was worth and/or he probably didn't want to see me anyway, but one way or another, I was avoiding Jacob.

Carlisle had been out to La Push every day since the battle, ensuring Jake was healing properly. Physically, I knew he had the best care available. According to Carlisle, he was perhaps even more belligerent and surly than ever, so that meant he was OK mentally, but I was relatively sure he was an emotional mess, even if he didn't let anyone see it.

It was with that in mind that I called the Black's house one afternoon when Edward was out hunting with his brothers. He had Alice on 'Bella Babysitting" duty, even though I insisted I didn't need to be watched anymore. Edward had simply said, "There are threats other than supernatural ones." Like Forks was the nation's murder capitol or something.

Frankly, the biggest threats I'd faced before moving to Washington were my own two feet. Add some uneven terrain and a variety of invisible cracks in the sidewalk and you could explain most of my innumerable scrapes and bruises, a knocked out baby tooth when I was six, and more than one broken bone.

"Hello?"

"Billy? Hi, it's Bella."

"Oh… Bella," he said a little too loudly, indicating he was simultaneously answering me and alerting Jacob to my call. "How are you?"

"I'm doing OK. Hey, how's Jake?"

"Oh, he's doing as well as can be expected," he answered dubiously.

"Carlisle says he's healing well."

"Yeah, that Carlisle… I never thought I'd ever say something like this, but he's been a godsend. Not sure what we would have done without him, even though Jake doesn't like him coming here…"

"I imagine not," I chuckled. "Is he there?"

"Carlisle? He's not due for a while yet."

"No, I mean Jake. I'd like to talk to him."

"Just a minute," Billy answered. I could hear a muffled conversation through what I assumed was Billy's hand. He removed it from the receiver in time for me to hear him say, "I'm not going to lie for you, son. If you want her to think you're asleep, you tell her yourself."

"Dad! Geez! Announce it to the world, why don't you?" I heard Jacob complaining loudly in the background.

"So, he's asleep, is he?" I snickered.

"Or so he says," Billy laughed back. "Apparently he talks and even yells in his sleep."

"Apparently. So, he doesn't want to talk to me then?"

"Well, I guess not. He talks _about_ you all the time, but he doesn't seem to want to _man-up and talk to you_," he said extra loud, and clearly not for my benefit.

"DAD!" Jake wailed from a distance. "You're no help at all. Here, give me the damn phone."

"Well, what do you know, Bella, you're in luck. He just woke up," Billy teased.

"Wow. Great timing. Thanks, Billy."

"Don't mention it," he answered with a smile in his tone.

"What?" Jacob demanded.

"Is that the new 'hello'?" I asked, mocking him a little.

"It is for you, oh Bride of Dracula. What do you want?" He sounded so bitter, his voice was almost unrecognizable.

My tone softened immediately. "Jake, I really just want to talk to you, OK? A lot's happened in the past few days and we really haven't had time to talk about it."

"What's there to talk about? You've made your choice. Unless you're having second thoughts…"

I sighed. "Jake…"

"Say no more," he interrupted me. "I get it, OK? I don't like it, and don't ask me to be happy for you, but I get it." And the line went dead.

"He hung up on me!" I gasped.

"Dogs have no manners, Bella. Everyone knows that!" Alice responded somewhat scornfully.

"Jake is a person, too, Alice. I tell him the same thing when he calls you 'bloodsuckers.'"

"Whatever," she waved her hand dismissively. "And yes, to answer your question, you need to tell Edward you're going to Jacob's tonight or he'll be furious."

"So, Carlisle will agree to take me, then?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, after you call Edward."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like he's my keeper or anything. I can go if I want to. I don't need his permission."

"No, you don't, but really, it's just a matter of respect," she said gently. "Edward doesn't go running off without telling you where he's going…"

As soon as we both registered what she'd said, her eyes widened and mine filled with tears. "Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry! I wasn't even thinking about it like that."

She held me for a while as some of my seemingly endless waterworks welled and trickled down my cheeks. "It's OK," I whispered. "But, Alice, when is it going to stop hurting like this? I'm tired of being so fragile all the time."

Alice smiled, releasing me and wiping a drop from my cheek. "It's only been a few months since he's been back. You can't expect yourself to just get over it like nothing happened. You may not see it, but you _are_ getting better, Bella. Jasper even said he could sense it, and if any of us would know, it's him. You _are_ healing."

I nodded and tried to smile. I knew if Alice had said something like that to me a couple of months ago, I would have barricaded myself in my room and cried for hours, so in comparison, this reaction was fairly minimal. Maybe I really was healing.

"I can tell you this," she said with authority, "Edward will never again be more than 100 yards from you without telling you where he's going and what he's doing. Sometimes we struggle getting him to leave you long enough to hunt!"

"That's probably overkill…," I said before realizing my double entendre. "I mean the distance, not the hunting."

Alice laughed. "We try not to overkill. Not a good idea to eliminate your food source."

"I suppose not… So, when will things get back to normal between Edward and me?"

"Are you asking me as a friend or a psychic?"

"Both. And as a sister."

She jumped up and down, happily clapping her hands. "Yay! I can't wait!"

I smirked at her antics and she settled down quickly, seeming to remember we were having a rather serious conversation.

"Bella, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but this IS normal," she answered.

I must have looked puzzled because she continued before I could speak. "Relationships change all the time, so normal changes, too. It's pointless to keep a set standard for normal."

"OK, so when will things get better?"

"Today. And tomorrow, and next week, and 100 years from now…" she ticked off on her fingers.

I smiled. "When did you get so philosophical?"

"What? Are you saying a girl can't be beautiful, talented, fashionable, and smart?" she giggled. "You need to get with the times, Bella."

"If you were truly progressive, you'd call yourself a woman, not a girl," I teased.

"Touché!"

I decided to be a 'woman' myself and call Edward before Carlisle had a chance to insist upon it.

"Are you OK?" were the first words from his mouth.

"Doesn't anyone say 'hello' anymore?" I griped.

He let out a relieved sigh. "Hello, my love. It's wonderful to hear your voice. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it. "You don't have to get carried away…"

He laughed. "OK, but you never call me when I'm hunting, so what's up?"

I took a steadying breath. "I'm going to ride along with Carlisle tonight to see Jacob. I just thought you should know so you didn't find out about it after the fact."

"Oh, really?" he sounded surprised and on the verge of sarcastic. I already didn't like his tone. "And are you asking me or telling me?"

"Telling. Asking would involve a question."

"I see… so then, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," I answered calmly.

"Why did you wait until I was gone to inform me that you were planning to see Jacob?"

I huffed. "Edward, it's not like that. Honestly, everything's been such a whirlwind and I just didn't think about actually going until today. But I do need to see him, before we go to Italy. We have some things to talk about."

"And you're not planning to kiss him again, are you?"

"Edward! Are you kidding me? Of course not!" I answered incredulously.

"I'm sorry…" he said sadly, sounding truly repentant. "I trust you, Bella. I just don't trust him. I mean, it wasn't long ago that he managed to trick you into kissing him, and it was no little peck on the cheek, either."

"I know," I said sadly, also trying to let him hear how truly repentant I was. "It was stupid and I panicked. That's mostly what I need to talk to him about."

"OK. Well, I appreciate you _telling_ me. I don't know why it feels like you should be asking, because there really is no justification for it. I guess it's just my must-protect-Bella-at-all-costs-even-if-it-makes-me-seem-like-a-control-freak mentality kicking into high gear."

"I guess so," I snickered. "Would if make you feel better if I asked you?"

"Well, yeah, maybe… kinda…" he answered sheepishly.

"Edward, darling, can I go with Carlisle to visit Jacob tonight?" I asked demurely.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" he shouted back then laughed.

"You chauvinistic jerk!" I teased, laughing with him.

"Just be safe. My world means nothing without you in it," he whispered sweetly. I heard gagging in the background.

"Tell Emmett and/or Fred to shut it. And I love you, too." I made a loud, sloppy kiss noise into the phone, more for their benefit than Edward's, then ended the call.

Reasonably satisfied with the outcome of those calls, my next one was to Carlisle. Alice stopped me.

"You should wait a while because Carlisle and Esme are looking at an interior design project together."

I might have bought that story if she hadn't given me a mischievous wink and giggled like a school girl.

"UUUUGGGGHHHH! I don't want to know about my future in-laws in _that way_…" I covered my ears.

"It's not my fault I can see them. I only looked because you were going to call. You really think I want to see Carlisle and Esme going at it? They're all prim and proper in public, but when they get the house to themselves…"

"Mary. Alice. Brandon. Cullen. Not. Another. Word!" I shouted. Of course, she thought this was hilarious.

"I don't know, Bella. You might want Edward to ask Carlisle about some of his moves…"

"Please just bite me and drain all my blood. It's better than this torture."

"Well, fortunately for you, Carlisle and Esme just finished thoroughly examining the kitchen counters, so he'll be getting ready to go visit the Blacks. You can call him in a few minutes."

"TMI! I don't need to know the details! I'll never be able to eat in that kitchen again!"

"Oh, Bella, don't be silly. Those counters are among the least contaminated flat surfaces in that house."

I shoved my fingers into my ears, either trying to muffle the sound or puncture my eardrums. I didn't care which, as long as I didn't have to listen to this. "I don't want to know that. And I really don't want to know how _you_ know that. You say you don't like to spy, but you seem to get such perverse pleasure from it."

"That's not true!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I get perverse pleasure from taunting you about it and making you blush!"

In my exasperation, I growled at her.

"Hey, that wasn't half bad, Bella. That's going to be a real benefit when you're a vampire."

"Great… just what I've always wanted. A convincing growl."

She laughed. "Well, it can come in handy in certain circumstances. Anyway, call Carlisle. He's dressed now."

"Why do I feel dirty all of a sudden…" I grumbled as I dialed.

"Why, hello, Bella!" Carlisle greeted me warmly.

"Finally, someone who knows how to correctly answer the phone!"

He chuckled. "OK, I don't think I'm going to ask the obvious follow-up question… so, what can I do for you?

"I'd like to come along with you to see Jacob tonight."

"Oh…" he paused. "Have you talked to Edward about this?"

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it, either. "Yes, and he's fine with it."

"Bella," he said with his best fatherly reprimanding tone. My dad's was still better, but for a 23-year-old, his was pretty good.

"OK, he's not exactly _fine_ with it, but we talked it over and he… consented. I didn't exactly give him a choice, but we're OK. If you don't believe me, call and ask him."

"Of course, I believe you. I just didn't think he would be 'fine with it' as you first indicated. Unless you were talking about a completely different Edward entirely."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "No, same Edward. Just trying to be more reasonable, that's all."

"After 90 years, NOW he tries to be reasonable," Carlisle exclaimed.

"Apparently you _can_ teach an old dog new tricks."

"Speaking of dogs, as the kids like to call them, I'm headed over to Jacob's right now. Why don't I pick you up on the way? Will you be ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I was ready on the outside, but not so sure I was ready on the inside.

"OK, I'll be there soon."

I snapped the phone shut.

"Now, didn't he sound relaxed?" Alice said with a twinkle in her eye.

I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at her. Of course she dodged it easily. I frowned.

"Bella, really? Even if I couldn't see the future, I could be in Idaho before that pillow got all the way over here," she mocked. I threw another, and again, it missed of course.

"Please, can't you let it hit you just one time? For me?" I whined in jest.

"You are so ridiculous. Alright, fine. If it makes you feel better, but this really is pathetic." She stood there while I gathered the pillows and threw one. Watching it bounce off her head wasn't nearly as satisfying as I'd hoped, but it wasn't bad either.

"Are you happy now?" she asked with a lift of her eyebrow.

"Not even remotely" I said as I threw another, hitting her again.

"Is Edward aware of your violent tendencies?"

"I'm not violent," I said as I threw a large pillow followed by a small one.

"Ha! You didn't see that one coming, did you!" I accused playfully as I raised my hands triumphantly in the air.

She folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. I took that to mean 'Yes, Bella, you did, indeed, fool me with your mighty sneak attack.'

"Just wait until I can throw things back. Then if you can hit me, you'll have really accomplished something," Alice remarked with cool confidence.

Carlisle arrived as I shamelessly continued with my victory dance.

Alice walked out to the car with me. "Thank GOD you're here!" she announced to Carlisle. "Bella was pelting me with pillows and I was powerless to stop her."

"That's right!" I exclaimed, ignoring her heavy sarcasm.

"I'm not even going to ask," Carlisle chuckled. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded as he opened the door for me. I waved goodbye to Alice, blowing her a kiss. She pretended to catch it, throw it on the ground and stomp on it.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," I yelled, although raising my voice was completely unnecessary. We both laughed as Carlisle headed towards La Push.

We drove in silence for a few minutes before Carlisle asked, "So, have you talked to Jacob recently?"

"Yeah, earlier. He didn't want to talk to me… he hung up on me, in fact, so that's why I thought I should just go there. Has he asked about me?"

"Every time…" Carlisle smiled sadly. "He says he doesn't want to know, but he always manages to bring up the subject anyway."

I shook my head a little before looking out the side window.

"I'm curious," Carlisle eventually started again. "Do you intend to pursue a friendship with Jacob after you've been changed?"

The words stung. I wanted us to be friends, but I wanted _my Jake_. He was my sunshine, but now he just walked around with a dark cloud over his head. "I don't know… I guess a lot of that will be determined by the outcome of today's little meeting."

It wasn't long before we were pulling up in front of the Black's home. As we exited the car, Carlisle was the subject of many suspicious glances, but no one dared say anything. I was the subject of not only suspicion, but what seemed like scorn and/or confusion. I guess it was fitting, considering I had rejected one of their own in favor of one of their enemies.

Billy opened the door before we'd even reached the porch. "Dr. Cullen! Thanks for coming. Jake's in his room. You should probably have a talk with him about doing too much…" he trailed off when he saw me. "Bella… I'm surprised to see you here. Did Jake know you were coming?"

"No, I just asked Carlisle if I could ride along."

"I don't think he wants to see you, Bella. I can ask him."

"Thanks, Billy."

Carlisle and I waited on the porch until Billy came back. "Dr. Cullen, you can go in. Bella, I'm afraid he can't be reasoned with. I'm sorry."

I was instantly enraged. "No, Billy, I'm sorry," I said as I pushed past him into the house. He called after me, but I didn't stop until I was in Jacob's room, staring him down. My nostrils were probably flaring, which probably wasn't a good look, but I probably didn't care. He was going to talk to me and that was all there was to it.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Sorry it's taken a bit to get this chapter out. I took two lovely, albeit short, vacations to a friend's mountain cabin where they have no internet service, nor TV. What they DO have is a peaceful place with a small river running through it. I'm ready to go back right now. **

**So, I was never really satisfied with Bella and Jacob's conversation after the newborn army war, so they're going to really talk. Hope you enjoy, and please review!**

Chapter 24

"Why are you here?" Jacob sneered.

"Nice to see you, too!" I snapped back.

"Do you know what 'I don't want to talk to you' means?

"Do you know what 'It's not just about you' means?" I shouted. "Or maybe 'Stop being an ass?'"

"Me? I'm not the one who's getting married to Vlad the Impaler."

"Ugh! You are such a child! You know the Cullens aren't like other vampires. When are you going to stop with the Dracula references?"

"What would you prefer? Nosferatu? Lestat? Or how about Count Chocula?" Jacob snarked.

"Oh, that's just hilarious coming from Teen Wolf himself! Most people think werewolves are every bit as scary as vampires anyway," I countered.

"That's because they don't know any in the flesh. If that's what you call the skin of a bloodsucker. More like stone and ice…" he scoffed.

"Says the furry four-legged furnace. Tell me how that's better?"

"You certainly didn't seem to mind it in the tent that night. I did what your precious Edward couldn't. You'd be missing fingers and toes right now if it wasn't for me," he yelled.

"I appreciate your help. I really do. But if this had happened in Arizona in August, the tables would have been turned, now wouldn't they!"

He sputtered for a few seconds, desperately thinking of a comeback. "You're… you're… just so aggravating!" he roared.

"Me? You're the King of Aggravating!"

"Bella, why are you here," he said with narrowed eyes.

"I'm here because I wanted to talk, but clearly that isn't going to happen!"

"Hello? I told you I didn't want to talk and you're just now realizing that I don't want to talk? Wow, Bella, you really do have an amazing knack for the obvious."

"If you would stop yelling and being so sarcastic, maybe we could talk like humans. Or at least one and a half humans and half a werewolf…"

"I'm still quite human, thank you very much. Unlike your Fang-ed Wonder Boy. I can't imagine what you see in him. You do know you're his natural food source, right? Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"No, it doesn't, actually. Edward doesn't feed from humans and you know it."

"You say 'feed from humans' like it's the most natural thing in the world! He's an abomination, Bella. Why can't you understand that?"

"Vampires in general may be abominations, but the Cullens aren't. They eat animals, just like you and me. Well, not 'just like me' because I only eat them cooked, but you know what I mean."

"And what are you going to do if he decides to change his menu later?"

"Why would he? This is the life he's chosen, and yeah, it's hard for him sometimes, but he's dedicated to it. His whole family is."

"Speaking of which, isn't Dr. Fang out there? I'm sure he wouldn't be happy about you raising my blood pressure like this."

"Oh, Carlisle!" I'd forgotten all about him. "Carlisle, I'm sorry, would you like to come in and examine your ridiculously impatient patient?" I shot Jake a look of pure scorn.

A moment later, there was a tap on the door. Carlisle sheepishly pushed it open, looking back and forth between Jacob and me. "I didn't want to interrupt, but it would probably be good for me to get my check-up out of the way."

"I'll leave you to it, but this isn't over, Jacob Black!" I warned.

Walking into the hall, I spent a few minutes to calm myself by looking at the many pictures on the walls. Jacob as a baby, Billy before he was in a wheelchair, Jacob's mom, his two sisters. Jacob was an adorable baby, and unbidden, the images of little Jakes and Bellas running around our cozy house flashed in my mind again.

As much as I wanted to rid myself of the thoughts, I allowed them to play through my head. Admittedly, a part of me wanted what I was seeing. But then my thoughts turned to Edward… seeing his reaction to my choosing Jacob. The look in his eyes was nothing short of devastating. He was tortured and there was no way for me to comfort him. Just the image of it tore at my heart. I knew being with anyone but Edward would kill me, which gave me resolve for round two with Jake.

I was roused from my daydream by a crash and Jacob's loud cursing. "Calm down," I heard Carlisle scold. "If you hurt yourself again, I'll just have to keep coming back. Is that what you want? I mean, Jacob, if you miss me that much, you could just invite me over without the pretense of injury." There was a pause and Carlisle laughed heartily. I could only imagine the look on Jacob's face and what hand gestures he might have chosen to respond to his doctor's joke.

When Carlisle was finished, he slipped out of Jacob's room. "You know, Bella, in all seriousness, you probably shouldn't get him so riled up. If he were to phase in his current condition, I'm not sure if all the King's horses and all the King's men…"

As he trailed off, I nodded. "I'll try. He just makes me so mad."

"I think there's a sign-up sheet to join that club," he teased.

"Yeah, and my name will be the first on the list," I mumbled. "So, are you ready to go?"

Carlisle looked a little surprised. "I am, but I didn't think you were."

"Well, you're right about that, but I don't want to keep you here unnecessarily. I'm sure this isn't the most comfortable place for you…"

"That might be the understatement of the year," he laughed. "But I can sit in the car and wait, if you'd like. I wouldn't mind running home and leaving you with the car except Edward might burn me at the stake."

"Yeah, he probably wouldn't be too keen on that. I hate to have you wait for me, though…"

"Bella, I quite literally have all the time in the world. It's really not a hardship. I won't become bored, and if worst comes to worst, I can turn on the radio like a human father waiting for his teenage daughter. If it makes you feel better, I can even honk the horn at regular intervals." He winked at me and I couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Carlisle. You're the best vampire dad a girl could ever hope for…" I closed the distance between us and gave him a big hug, which he reciprocated.

"I love you, my sweet little human daughter. Don't ever forget that." Then he whispered, "Now, get in there and give him hell."

We both laughed as he made his way outside, bidding goodbye to Billy. I took a deep breath and tapped on Jacob's door, opening it before he even had a chance to answer.

"I didn't know you meant you were coming back right now…" he grumbled.

"You know, for a guy who's supposedly so in love with me, you sure have a funny way of showing it…"

"What do you want me to do? I've already told you how I feel. You _know_ you feel the same way, but I can't get you to acknowledge it, so where does that leave us?"

I sighed. "That leaves us as friends. Or is that off the table now?"

"Well, you getting married to my natural born enemy does tend to put a curb on the relationship, you know. Even worse… if you become one of them…" he shook his head in disgust.

"_When_ I become one of them, not if…" I corrected.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. I've reminded both your leech boy and the doc that none of them can change you without breaking the treaty, which would mean you'd have to leave and never come back, and well… I just don't picture us being pen pals, Bella," he said with heavy disapproval in his tone.

"So are you saying we can't continue to be friends, or it's not worth the effort?"

"It's not worth the pain," he said bitterly, turning his head to look out the window.

He was finally letting his guard down, so I took the few steps to the side of his bed and carefully sat down on the edge. He briefly turned to look at me before loudly exhaling and turning his face back toward the window. His sadness was now evident as his entire demeanor changed. This was MY Jacob, my sunshine, but surrounded by dark clouds.

I carefully reached over to rest my hand on his. "You know, Jake, I didn't come here to exchange punches. I wanted to talk and make sure you were OK. I was worried about you…"

He moved his hand out from under mine. "Yeah, well, I don't need your pity."

I scooted up closer and took his hand again. "Is that what you think? You think I pity you? I've had a lot of feelings over this whole situation, but pity isn't one of them. Self-pity, perhaps…"

"Ummm… Bella, in case you hadn't noticed, you have all the power here. I don't know why you'd be feeling sorry for yourself about that."

"Really? You don't? You think this is easy for me? I get the fun job of choosing between two men I love dearly, who hate each other passionately. I don't want to hurt either of them, so of course in the process of trying to protect both of them from pain, I'm hurting both of them deeply. If that's not a good reason for a pity-party, I'd like to know a better one!"

"How about finding out the woman that you love more than you've ever loved another person in your life got secretly engaged to your enemy?" he seethed. I tried to stay calm, however.

"I didn't get 'secretly engaged.' A lot of people knew. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to tell you."

"Oh, so you thought letting _him_ break the news to me just before going into battle was the right opportunity, huh?

"No, I didn't think that at all!" I replied angrily. "I was pretty mad at Edward for that, actually."

"Yeah, that was about a subtle as dropping a piano on my head," he complained. "You talk about ME being immature? That was some grade-school level shit right there…"

"I agree, and I told Edward the same. And he finally had to admit it, too. Basically, he was trying to mark his territory," I almost snorted.

"And he calls ME a dog!"

"And he calls YOU a dog" Jacob and I said simultaneously. It was the first time we'd laughed together since I arrived. I didn't intend it to be at Edward's expense, but he sort of earned that one.

"Oh, Bella, see how easy it is for us? We should be together, and I think you know it," Jacob said in a carefree, laughing voice.

I didn't want to dampen the mood, but I couldn't let that go. "Oh, Jake," I mimicked his tone, "it's not that I don't think we'd be happy together, because we probably would. It's just that…"

He cut me off. "I know. Please don't say it again."

I nodded and squeezed his hand in understanding.

"But you DID kiss me, Bella … and not just a little kiss, either. There was passion there, and you can't deny that."

"I'm pretty sure it was just indigestion…" I chuckled humorlessly. Looking at his stone-cold face, I got the feeling he didn't appreciate the joke. "OK, but in my defense, at the time you were pretending that you'd let the newborns kill you if I didn't. I'm kinda mad at you for taking advantage of our relationship like that. What kind of friend does that?"

"A desperate one…" he lowered his eyes to the bed and pulled his hand back from mine again.

"Oh, my Jacob," I sighed, reaching up to cup his cheek in my hand. "One day, you're going to imprint on some nice girl and I will fade into a distant memory."

"Is that what this is about? You think I'm going to imprint, so you're choosing the bloodsucker over me?" He was suddenly angry again.

"Calm down, Jake. No, that's not it. I mean, yeah, of course I've thought about it. Like, what would happen if we got married and had children and then you imprinted on someone else? I'd be worse off than Leah!" This was actually a bigger fear than I was letting on, although I decided not to tell him that because he would make a big deal about it and really, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a deciding factor.

"But honestly, Jacob, that's not the reason. I've chosen Edward because… well, because we belong together. You saw what I was like without him. He's the other part of me. He's my soul mate."

"He doesn't even HAVE a soul!" Jacob yelled. "How can he be your soul mate without a soul? He's dead, Bella. You're marrying a walking corpse!"

"He's not alive as a human, but he's very much alive as a vampire. And I believe he does have a soul. He's too kind and good to be soulless."

"Oh, Bells, you'd better get the doc back in here quick because I think I'm gonna hurl," he said through mock stomach heaving.

"Ha, ha… you're so freakishly funny. You know what? Even if he doesn't have a soul, I still love him. Besides, sometimes I wonder if you have a heart!" I quickly covered my mouth, instantly regretting my words.

"Wow, Bella, I take it all back. You're gonna make a great vampire because that was just cold."

"I'm really sorry, Jake. That was really wrong. If I'd thought about it for two seconds, I would never have said that, not just because it would hurt your feelings, but because it's not even true. You are one of the warmest-hearted people I know. Can you forgive me?"

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Geez, Bells, no fair! I can't stay mad at you when you talk all sweet like that… So, I'm one of the warmest-hearted people you know, huh?"

"Yeah…" I answered, but then couldn't help but add, "when you're not busy being an absolute ass."

He threw his head back and laughed and I knew things were better. Still not good, but better.

"So, where does that leave us?" he asked more seriously.

"I don't know, Jake. I guess that's kind of your call. The proverbial ball is in your court."

"Isn't there anything I can do or say to make you change your mind? Aren't you at least going to consider me as an option to dying and coming back as a cold, blood-sucking parasite?"

"Now look who's the sweet-talker!" I laughed and gave him a little punch in the arm. "When you say it like that, it just makes me feel all giddy on the inside!"

"OK, OK…" he raised his hands in surrender. "So, even though you wouldn't say it like that, you have to admit it's true."

I sighed. "It _is_ true, but it's only part of the picture. You apparently think I haven't thought about all of this, but I have. I've weighed my options and I'm sorry to have to say it, but I'm choosing the blood-sucking parasite route. I'll learn to control my bloodlust and be a good vampire like the other Cullens."

"I wish you'd stop saying 'good' and 'vampire' in the same sentence…" He smiled coyly before adding "Unless you're saying something like 'the only _good vampire_ is a dead _vampire_' or something like that."

"And you wonder why I sometimes call you an ass," I laughed. He basically snorted in response, but I noticed he didn't argue the point.

"So, he's your true love and I'm what? Just your best friend who's been there for you through thick and thin? Is that it?"

"Actually, yes."

He huffed angrily in response.

"But Jake, don't you see? I treasure our friendship. It holds a special place in my heart that nobody can change, not even Edward. It may not be what you wanted, but I wish you wouldn't see this as some sort of second place loser prize. I hope my friendship means more to you than that."

"It does, but no matter how you dress it up, I _am_ the second place loser here. At the end of the game, it's freaky-yellow-eyed-stony-cold-bloodsucker: one, and practically-perfect-in-every-way-werewolf: zero."

I smiled, resting my hand on his forearm. "I have no doubt that practically-perfect-werewolf is going to meet practically-perfect-girl and will then realize mostly-imperfect-Bella wasn't the right one after all."

"That's easy for you to say…" he mumbled. "What if you _are_ the one and I never find anyone that even remotely compares to you?"

"You're serious right now, aren't you…" I said with disbelief.

"Well, yeah. I'd say this was pretty serious."

"Jacob, you're a teenager! You've hardly been off the reservation. There's a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered."

"I could say the same to you, ya know," he replied with a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"I suppose that's true. I can't argue the point except to say that my heart found its home with Edward Cullen. When he was gone, my heart was ripped to shreds and it almost killed me. You know that better than anyone in this world."

"Yeah, but you and I were so close to mending it. I could have, if he hadn't come back and ruined everything…"

"No, Jake. The truth is, you patched up my heart the best you could, and I am so grateful to you because I really think you saved my life, but my heart wasn't whole again until Edward came back."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Jacob was speechless.

"I do love you, Jacob Black. And I will always love you, whether you choose to be in my life or not. My heart, however, is with Edward, and he's where I belong. I don't expect you to like it or approve or anything like that, but I do hope you'll respect my choice. And I want us to be friends. Always."

"Aw, Bella. Dammit!" I could see tears trying to spring from his eyes, although he was doing his best to keep them at bay.

My automatic response was to curl into his side and carefully wrap my arms around his torso. He put his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his massive chest. I quickly thought about Edward plucking this moment from Jacob's mind at some point in the future, but just as quickly dismissed it. Nothing was happening and Edward would have to trust me.

We sat like that for a while. I didn't look up at Jake's face because I knew what I would see and I was sure he didn't want me to see him in what he would consider a moment of weakness.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Jacob broke the silence.

"Which thing? You've said so many things you should be apologizing for…" I said with a little chuckle. He gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"For saying I'd rather see you dead than… well, undead. I still hope you'll change your mind and not go through with the whole biting and dying thing, but even if you do, I can't imagine my life without you in it, even if it's only as my smelly blood-sucking friend."

"That may be the sweetest thing you've ever said," I sighed, but then added, "which means you really should work on your pick-up lines."

We both laughed as I moved to sit up. "I should get going. Carlisle said you need your rest and I'm sure I'm not helping by hanging around, irritating you."

"Actually, I am pretty tired," Jacob admitted. "But I'll probably sleep better knowing you and I are OK. We are OK, right?"

"I think we are, or at least we will be." I brushed my hand over his forehead and leaned over to plant a kiss there. "Take it easy and we'll stay in touch, OK? Oh, that reminds me… we have to go back to Italy. Did Carlisle tell you?"

"Yeah, he told me the whole thing. I don't understand why you have to go, but he said you would be in more danger if you refused than if you just went, so I guess that's what you have to do."

I nodded. "Trust me, I don't want to go. Now THOSE are some evil vampires. You can call them all the derogatory names you can think of and I won't argue with you in the slightest!"

This time, Jacob took my hand. "You be careful. I will say one thing about Edward… he would die to protect you. So would I, by the way, but I'm not going to be there. You stay close to him. Think you can handle that?"

"It'll be a hardship, but I'll try to manage," I teased.

Jake pulled my hand to his warm lips and gently kissed it. "I love you, Bells."

"I love you, too."

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" he asked, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, which was a sufficient answer. "Bye, you silly boy."

"Bye, you stubborn, beautiful girl."

I closed the door behind me, and not seeing Billy, said a loud goodbye to him. I heard a muffled "Bye" from somewhere in the house.

I opened the door to the Mercedes and hopped in.

"So, how did it go?" Carlisle asked.

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't hear every word?" I asked in return.

"Well, yes, I suppose I did," he chuckled, "but I can't very well say so. It's rude to eavesdrop, but I can't help it. My ears work too well."

"It's OK. Nothing was said that I wouldn't tell you anyway, and there's nothing I'll be embarrassed about when Edward asks you about it and then picks your brain for the details."

"I'm sure he won't intend it, but not knowing drives him mad."

"Yes, so he'll do it anyway and then beat himself up about it for a month!" I chortled.

"You know, Bella, everyone in the family has expressed concern that you don't know what you're getting into with Edward, but hearing you say that puts all my fears to rest."

**A/N: Next chapter, we return to our friend, Fred. Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Since Charlie wasn't home, Carlisle drove me back to the Cullen's. Alice was already there, of course, although she didn't see that the decision had been made until we drove far enough away from LaPush to become visible to her again. This was a source of unending irritation for the little pixie. She wasn't accustomed to being foiled.

I'd assumed Edward would call at some point, if for no other reason than to make sure Jacob hadn't kidnapped me and run off or some such silly idea the silly man might have had. He wouldn't take into consideration that Jake was in no condition to do any such thing, and that Carlisle was with me. He would only be worried. Since he hadn't called, I had to hope he was handling the unknown outcome of my visit to LaPush with poise and decorum.

He was most likely, however, driving the other guys insane.

Rather than calling Edward myself, I decided to go to the real source. "So, Alice… how is Edward doing?"

"Fine," she replied casually.

"Just fine?" I tried to dig a little more without it appearing so.

"Yep. Just fine." She was looking at her nails again, which I started to realize was a 'tell' of hers. She only seemed to do that when she was fixated on appearing to pay no attention to me.

"OK, that's all I wanted to know." I figured two could play at that game.

We both sat examining our nails until she could finally take no more. "Bella! I know you want to ask me, so why don't you just do it?"

I smiled on the inside, knowing I'd beat her at her own game… at least for now. "If you know what I want to ask you, why don't you just save us the trouble and tell me?"

"Are you crazy? If I just go telling you everything you want to know, I won't have anything to hold over your head! Don't you know me at all?"

I knew she was joking, but there was a little nugget of truth in there. "It's fine, Alice. I don't need to know." I picked up a home design magazine of some sort and feigned fascination with it.

"I _know_ you aren't interested in 'Trendir,' so don't even pretend you're looking at it."

"How do you know I don't 'dream of a Zen-like living space entirely free of distractions and unnecessary complications'?" I read from the magazine. "Hmmmm?"

"Would you like me to tell Esme you've developed a sudden overwhelming love for minimalist design? I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you everything she knows."

I gasped. "You wouldn't…"

"Oh wouldn't I?" she challenged.

I stared Alice down for a minute. She looked entirely too serious, and even though there had to be worse things than lengthy discussions on home fashion, I couldn't think of one at the moment, so I caved.

"Fine. What is Edward doing?" I grumbled.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" she retorted with a smile two seconds before the back door opened.

"That's cheating!" I accused.

She stuck her tongue out at me on her way over to greet her husband.

"Your sister is a brat!" I announced to Edward.

"Which one?" he asked, chuckling as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Alice, of course! I wouldn't call Rosalie a brat."

"Maybe a different 'B' word then?"

"Edward, are you trying to get me in trouble? She already doesn't like me…" I hissed before rather loudly calling out, "Rosalie, if you're around here, Edward said that, not me!"

"Don't worry, Bella…" he laughed. "She went shopping in Olympia."

"And she didn't take Alice?"

"Alice was spending time with you today, remember? Besides, she didn't want to go."

"Alice chose to babysit me over shopping?" I'm sure my jaw was practically hanging to the floor.

"She wasn't babysitting you, my love. She was just watching to make sure nothing bad happened to you," he explained.

"Isn't that the dictionary definition of babysitting?"

He just laughed some more and kissed me sweetly. "Alice didn't want to go with Rose because she's shopping for… car parts."

"Oh, yeah… that would not be fun," I had to agree. I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and wove my fingers into his soft, supple, messy hair as we kissed in earnest this time.

"Shall we go upstairs?" he suggested almost… suggestively. I nodded and before I knew it, I was being whisked up the two flights to Edward's room. Our room. He laid me down on the bed, removed my shoes, took off his own and was cuddled up next to me in no time flat. I was glad to be lying down, considering my head was spinning.

We spent some time touching and kissing and sharing deep, meaningful looks and affirming our love for one another. So far, it was definitely the best part of my day.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but aren't you back a little early? I mean, the way you talked, I thought you might be gone until at least tomorrow," I mused before planting a trail of warm kisses down his cool neck.

"Mmmmmm…" he hummed and then backed away slightly so he could answer my question. "Yes, we were planning to be out longer, but this afternoon, Jasper and I caught up to a grizzly and I thought Fred should have it, his first taste of predator and all. Emmett complained like crazy until Fred agreed to arm wrestle over it. They got all situated, and I think Fred could have won fair and square, but he disappeared and the next thing we knew, he was bringing down the bear. We haven't heard the end of it from Emmett. I wonder if we ever will…" he shook his head, amused at the memory. "And if I hear the word 'rematch' come out of his mouth one more time…"

It was an idle threat, but I still found it funny, picturing the enormous Emmett storming around and pouting like the little boy he could be sometimes.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here. I missed you so much!"

"Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me?" he teased.

"I think Emmett is rubbing off on you."

"That's not funny, Isabella Marie Swan soon-to-be-Cullen," Edward said rather sternly, before chuckling. "I do like the sound of that…"

"Me, too," I smiled into yet another round of scintillating kisses. I could barely wait until we didn't have to stop, but now was not that time.

Edward rolled to his side and I immediately missed his weight that had been covering half my body. Somehow that side seemed warmer than the other.

He began playing with my hair and I could tell something was on his mind. "So, how did your talk go with Jacob?"

"Oh, we kissed and made up," I answered coyly, deciding to tease him just a little.

When he didn't respond in kind, I meekly uttered, "Too soon?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, sweetheart, but way too soon. I think it will probably always be too soon," he affirmed with a slight smile, but also a hint of sadness in his voice.

"OK… sorry… I should have resisted temptation on that one." I craned my neck up to kiss his chin before starting again. "The talk went pretty well. Not as well as I'd hoped, but better than I expected. I got a few glimpses of my friend in there, even though he's completely bitter beyond belief. But I know he's only like that because he's in pain. He admitted he tricked me into kissing him because he was desperate about losing me to you. I very gently told him I was already lost to you, but that was after the yelling and name-calling part was already over."

Edward pushed himself up onto his elbow. "He yelled at you and called you names?" he asked in that quiet, yet murderous way he had when he thought someone was trying to harm me.

"Take a pill, Edward. Seriously." Sometimes he could be so exasperating. "Carlisle can give you the play-by-play if you really want to know exactly what was said."

"Bella, I don't like it when Jacob is angry around you…"

I cut him off quickly. "It was just verbal sparring. I can hold my own."

"That's the least of my worries, Bella. I know you're more than capable in that area. It's just… he could phase, and with you so close?"

I closed my eyes and counted to three. And then to five.

"Edward, seriously, do you really think I don't know how dangerous it would be if Jacob phased with me in his tiny little room? I'm not stupid, Edward. I do think about these things. I know you don't trust Jake, but I do and he would never hurt me." I let out the rest of a breath I was apparently holding.

He was quiet for a moment, and then mumbled, "I'm sure that's what Emily thought about Sam, too."

"Edward! That's so not fair! You know Sam was the first wolf. He didn't even know what was going on when that happened. Everyone else learned a lesson from his tragedy and they're all a lot more careful now. Besides, that would be like saying…" I thought for a moment… "Like saying Jessica Stanley cheated on her boyfriend and now you can't trust me because I'm also a human female."

"Aaaand… this is why I'm not worried about you holding your own in a verbal battle," he all but snorted, pulling me close to him again. "Bella, you're so very fragile, like all humans are, but I know you're also incredibly strong. I've never, ever thought you were stupid. Ever. Jacob just doesn't have that much control and you're right, I don't trust him."

"Sweetie, it's not like he randomly phases on his way to and from the bathroom or something. He's actually developed quite a bit of control. If he could learn to control his mouth that well, we could probably be good friends again!"

He laughed. "He'd need to control a lot more than that to ever be my friend."

"I don't hold out high hopes that the two of you will ever be 'friends' per se, but maybe you could both eventually be civil? For my sake?"

"Believe it or not, I'm just about as civil as I can be with him. You don't know what he's thinking! And it's constant!"

Now it was my turn to laugh. "I spent a whole night with him in a sleeping bag. I'm pretty sure I know what he's thinking!"

He put his hand to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "I could have gone my entire life without ever hearing that, you know."

"Well, I assumed you already knew, since you could read his thoughts and everything."

"I knew what he was thinking, but I didn't know what was 'happening'," he said with great disgust. "And I thought I wanted to kill him before!"

"Oh, honey, don't be silly. I'm all yours, for better or for worse," I assured him.

"For richer or poorer?" he asked.

I nodded.

"In sickness and in health, till death do us part?" he continued. "You do know we're going to have to rewrite those vows, right?"

"Yes, we are… How about…," I pondered this for a moment, "I'll love you while we're wealthy, healthy, and undead."

We laughed together. "Yes, that wouldn't make us sound odd at all," he guffawed.

"Or shallow."

His bright golden eyes darkened perceptibly as he bent his head to kiss me, and my heart was off to the races again.

Defying the laws of nature, the hours went by slowly, but the days passed in the blink of an eye. Alice had everyone completely packed for our trip, which didn't set well with me because I was still wearing some of the things I wanted to take.

"I know this is mean, but I'm just going to say it," Alice announced to me after our most recent clothing argument. "Everything you wear is horrible. Rosalie has shop rags nicer than half of your clothes! I wouldn't even give them to the thrift store!"

"Gosh, Alice, why don't you tell me what you really think?" I sardonically replied.

"Italy is one of the fashion capitals of the world! You can't go there in T-shirts and jeans and sweats!" she griped.

"Don't forget sweatshirts and sneakers," I added with a wry smile.

"Bella, if I could die, you would be killing me right now."

"Seriously, Bella, I don't know what you're complaining about," Fred interjected. "I've never been so well dressed in my life, and I don't even have to do anything! Clothes just appear out of nowhere and I put them on. And I look damn good, if I may say so myself, and I may."

"I know Alice picks out wonderful things, but most of them just aren't me," I almost whined.

"Hey, I had a peek at some of the things she got you for this trip, and I gotta say, Bella, you would look-"

He was literally cut off mid-sentence when Edward grabbed him by the throat and pushed him into the wall, making a fairly significant crack in it. Esme screeched, and I wasn't sure it if was due to the damage to her house or the fact that Edward seemed to be going all homicidal for no apparent reason.

"Edward! Geez! Calm down! Fred wasn't doing anything bad!" I yelled.

He released Fred just before Jasper and Rosalie arrived to pry him off. If they hadn't done it, I was prepared to try it myself, not that it would do any good.

"If anyone is going to imagine my fiancé in a silk gown and then ogle the image inappropriately, it's going to be me!" he shouted in Fred's face.

Once we all registered what he's said, everyone but Edward burst out laughing. Even Fred took his life into his own hands, laughing uproariously almost directly in Edward's face. He couldn't very well help himself.

Edward looked around at all of us, then took off upstairs in a huff. I wanted to stop laughing – really, I did, but I, too, was helpless. The frivolity died down eventually, but then someone, who I would swear was Carlisle, began chuckling again and the whole thing started over.

"Edward, come back! Please?" I said up the stairs, trying to quell my occasional guffaws. When I received no response, I warned, "OK, I'm coming up!"

I had ascended all of three steps when suddenly Edward was in front of me. I let out a startled yelp and I think I might have fallen backwards if he hadn't caught me.

"I'm going to say this once, Fred," he announced to everyone in the room. "Having you picture my Bella in a gown I've never seen made me just a little bit insanely jealous and, yes Rose, I overreacted. I'm sorry, Fred."

He offered his hand and Fred graciously reached to shake it. "Too slow" Edward said as he pulled his hand back. A few laughs later, everything was back to the Cullen's version of normal.

With only four days to go before we took the long flight to Italy, Carlisle seemed to have quadrupled Fred's training, which didn't seem possible since that's all they did all the time prior to that, too. Carlisle, as usual, was a man on a mission. He was very excited to show us what his pupil could do. For the first time since the ugliness in the field when Fred first arrived, I was asked to join the group of spectators. Edward was leery, of course, but even he had become more comfortable with Fred and agreed to check out his progress.

Jasper and Alice had also been very involved in Fred's training, much to their chagrin. The only positive in Alice's mind was getting to replace all the ruined clothing. Jasper grumbled about spending so much time in the dirt, but even he couldn't hide the pride he felt as Fred progressed.

I was just plain excited to see what I'd only heard bits and pieces about in the past few weeks. I didn't see Fred, Jasper, or Carlisle much in that time, and Alice and I only seemed to spend time together when she was babysitting me. On those days, Rose or Esme would go to the field. Emmett, despite his protests, had been all but banned because time spent with Fred meant time joking, playing, and frequently fighting, sometimes all three of those things at the same time.

Today, Emmett stood in the living room, pouting, as the rest of us prepared to go to the practice field.

"You know, Carlisle, I can go if I want to. It's not like anyone is going to stop me," Emmett challenged yet again.

This was after he'd tried to appeal to:

Carlisle's scientific side – "Since Fred and I are buddies now, I wonder if that would make him more or less able to use his powers on me. There's only one way to find out, you know."

Esme's maternal nature – 'It's a family event, mom… don't you think the whole family should be there?'

Rosalie's soft spot for her husband – 'But, baby, I'm gonna miss you so much. I know we have eternity, but if you're out there and I have to stay here, we'll miss a little piece of it and we can never get it back.'

Jasper's strategic side – 'If something goes wrong in Volterra, aren't you gonna wish I was in on the practice? I'm not gonna be much help if I don't know what's going on…'

Alice's passion for fashion – 'I'll probably ruin my clothes out there, and you know how much you like the challenge of finding stuff that fits me. In fact, I could _promise_ you I'd ruin my clothes, if you know what I mean.'

Fred's playful competiviteness – 'Dude, it'll be more fun if I'm there. Plus, you know I can kick your ass anytime. But if you're too chicken…'

Edward's over-protectiveness – 'I can help you keep Bella safe. Fred listens to me.'

And finally, my fondness for him – 'You can't leave your favorite big brother behind! It won't be the same without me.'

Unfortunately, all of his clever ploys and tugs at the heart strings were for naught, as Carlisle put his foot down. "Emmett, you and Fred can barely play your little video games without it coming to blows. We're on our third big screen in the past month! If anyone throws another shoe through a TV, Esme's going to have both your heads. Fred gets too riled up when you're around. Having you go out with us is just a bad idea. I'm sorry."

"This is no fair," Emmett grumbled. "Everybody else gets to go, even the human. We haven't had to get a new TV in nine days! Fred and I are getting along much better now, and I could prove it to you if you'd let me go! Please? Just once?"

Carlisle shook his head, smiling. "OK, Em, I'll make you a deal. You stay behind for now and tonight it'll just be the three of us: you, me, and Fred. And he can test his gift on you, and you guys can wrestle and fight and whatever else, on two conditions. One, no damaging each other, and two, you keep me out of it. OK?"

"I guess…" Emmett said glumly. "Deal." He and Carlisle shook hands on it.

Soon we were out the door. "Well played, old man," Edward whispered to Carlisle. He and Esme had stayed behind with us for a few moments to help get me ready for a day in the field. Alice had told them to prepare in advance since I would be coming, but Esme didn't want to seem presumptuous in case I, or more likely Edward, refused to go. She was mostly packed, but didn't quite have everything ready, at least keeping up the appearance of being unassuming.

"I had to give him something," Carlisle answered quietly. "I didn't think he would ever stop griping. I think my future self will be cursing my present self for making this deal, however."

Esme appeared through the back door carrying a cooler and duffle bag. Since I was the only one who needed creature comforts, I had to assume it was all for me.

"Kitchen sink?" I asked.

"Yes, it's in there," she giggled.

"OK, then I guess we're ready to go!"

I hopped on board the Edward Express and soon we joined the others who'd gone on ahead. We stopped well shy of the group, however, and it took me a minute to see why. Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie were running around like crazy, laughing uproariously, and I soon realized Fred was trying to zap them with his power while they tried to avoid the invisible force. It was like a psychic version of dodge-ball.

We had fun just standing there watching for a while. Fred was obviously far more able to control his gift than he had been before, and he was using both aspects of his gift together – he would disappear, sneak up on his prey and then unleash his ability to make them feel sick. Jasper was getting the brunt of it, but Alice and Rosalie went down their fair share of times, too.

"OK, kids!" Carlisle called out more loudly than necessary, even for my benefit. I presumed he was trying to use his 'authoritative dad' voice. "Let's get organized here and put Fred through his paces."

Esme had already set up 'base camp,' which consisted of a blanket on the ground, a couple of small pillows and a half canopy that was a cross between a pop-up tent and a beach umbrella. It wasn't raining and it wasn't sunny, it wasn't cold and it wasn't warm, either. In other words, pretty standard weather for Forks, even in early July.

Carlisle had us all circle Fred much as we had done in his very early training. Edward and I were still a team, and I could feel him tense at the prospect of being incapacitated again. I had no doubt he was remembering the last time we were in this position.

Carlisle got Fred to focus on him. "OK, Fred… Alice!"

In a split second, Alice and the two flanking her, Jasper and Esme, were writhing on the ground, but nobody else reacted to the effect. It sort of looked like he was bowling with an invisible ball. I was duly impressed, although I got the feeling Jasper and Esme weren't nearly as excited.

"Wow, Fred! That was great! I didn't know you'd come so far," I praised.

Fred smiled widely as he apologized to his main target and two inadvertent targets. Even though his aim wasn't perfect by any stretch, he was clearly proud of his progress.

"OK, Fred. Eyes over here," Carlisle said calmly. "This time… just me."

Everyone went down except Esme and Edward, and me of course. Fred had obviously learned to release his victims as quickly as he dropped them, so they weren't in his proverbial clutches for long and were back up in a flash.

"This time… Edward," Carlisle told Fred, but only Rose and Jasper went down on either side of us.

"Fred, I said Edward," Carlisle reminded him as if he had somehow forgotten or didn't hear correctly. I wanted to remind Carlisle that Fred was a vampire, but decided against it. "Try again."

Fred did as he was told and again, Rose and Jasper found themselves in the dirt while Edward and I remained standing.

"That's odd…" Carlisle mused. "Bella, you stay by Edward, but everyone else move away." Once the desired scenario was set, Fred was once again told to drop Edward.

Nothing happened. I was asked to stand to the side with the others, so it was just Fred vs Edward, sort of like a vampire gunfight at the OK Corral.

Upon Carlisle's command, Fred tried again to put Edward on the ground, but to no avail. It was puzzling to say the least. Prior to today, Fred had no problem bringing Edward to his knees, but now he seemed to have no effect on him.

On some unseen cue, Edward dropped into a crouch and leapt at Fred, letting out an oddly feral growl. Fred disappeared to everyone else, and side-stepped just in time for Edward to miss him, but still, Edward remained upright.

"He's afraid," Jasper murmured. "I can feel it, clear as day. I believe Fred is afraid of what Edward will do to him, so he's avoiding him instead of using his ability to stop him."

"I'm not afraid," Fred hollered much like a five year old would when telling his mom he wasn't worried about monsters in the closet.

"It's OK, Fred. I know Edward is a jerk sometimes, but he's not that tough. He's certainly nothing to be afraid of…" Rose attempted to encourage Fred while simultaneously getting in a dig at her brother.

"The only time I ever gave Fred reason to fear me was when he threatened Bella," Edward defended himself.

"Or when he was 'ogling' her in his mind," Alice teased.

"Or every other time he irritated you in the slightest," Rosalie piled on.

Edward tilted his head and gave Fred an appraising look, concentrating on his eyes, which Fred averted right away. "Tell me what's really going on."

"Isn't it obvious?" Rosalie jumped in. "You've terrorized poor Fred so much, you broke him!"

"Oh, this is not good," Alice murmured as she was obviously having a vision. "Not good at all!"

"Whatever is going on, Fred's fear just doubled," Jasper announced.

Even without Jasper's abilities, I could feel the tension rising on the field. "What? Edward, what's going on?"

"Carlisle, call Emmett. Get him out here," was Edward's only answer.

A/N: OK, so just the littlest bit of a cliffie there…

Without attempting to make TOO many excuses for the delay in posting this chapter, I've been doing some grant writing and it's been sapping my muse. I got a break from it this week, so I finally got this finished!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**-…-**

Carlisle hung up the phone. "Emmett's on his way. So, any of you care to tell the rest of us what just happened?"

"Fred, if you don't mind me speaking for you…" Edward started.

"I guess not… just don't make me sound like a pansy," he answered sheepishly.

"OK. Despite what all of you think, Fred isn't afraid of me, although I guess I did exacerbate the problem with my… exuberant methods for keeping Bella safe. It seems we may have been a little overzealous in our attempts to inform Fred about the Volturi and their abilities. Subsequently, he's become more and more worried about what they could do to him, and what he would do if he couldn't use his gift on them, and that is making him impotent."

"Oh, thanks Edward. Great word choice there. That doesn't make me sound like a pansy at all," Fred grumbled.

Jasper ignored Fred's comment. "But in the past, fear made his power stronger. Why is it doing the opposite now?"

"Again, Fred, if I may…" Edward gestured to him.

"Sure! Why not? Some of my dignity may still be intact, and we wouldn't want that, so please, by all means, carry on," Fred snarked.

"See? Obviously Fred isn't afraid of Edward or he wouldn't talk to him like that!" I exclaimed. I was feeling rather defensive of my fiancé at the moment.

"Thank you, Bella," he turned and softly kissed my hand. Turning back to his family, he explained, "Fred has been feeling this way for a while, and the closer we get to the trip, the more pronounced his fear is becoming. The difference between this fear and the kind that usually helps him is that the latter is instant. He just reacts, and his gift works in proportion to the strength of his reaction. The fear that's preventing him from using his gift right now is based on the unknown. It's been building for quite some time and came to fruition today."

Esme looked confused. "Why didn't anyone know this?" Her question was asked to the group, but it was clear her focus was on the three gifted among us.

"I've felt his fear all along, but it seemed to make his gift work better, so I figured it was a good thing," Jasper answered. "But now that it's out in the open, I can feel his doubt, too."

"I haven't been around Fred very often since he's been out training with you so much," Edward shrugged.

The one person not offering anything was Alice. All eyes were on her, waiting for her explanation.

"I can't talk about it right now," she whispered.

"Alice, what did you see?" Carlisle prodded.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." Her voice was a little louder this time.

"But maybe it will help us understand what's going on," Carlisle insisted.

"Everyone just leave her be," Jasper stepped in, probably not intending to seem threatening, but he was. Even Carlisle took a half step back.

"We'll talk about it later. After Emmett…" Alice paused. "We'll talk about it later."

Alice probably knew Emmett would arrive in mere seconds. Even I could hear him when he got close enough to come thundering into the open space of the field.

"So, Carlisle, you rang?" he teased. "You said you 'needed' me out here? Emphasis on the word 'need.'"

"Now don't get all cocky, Em," Rosalie warned.

"Actually, that's exactly what we need him to do," Edward corrected her.

Edward and Jasper filled Emmett in on the problem, being more careful this time to choose words that wouldn't make Fred feel even worse.

Emmett turned to Carlisle. "See? I told you I needed to be out here, but nooooooo… You were all 'Emmett can't control himself. He has to stay home. Fred can't concentrate when he's around,'" Emmett taunted in a high pitched voice. "So admit it – now aren't you sorry you banned me?"

Carlisle looked at the ground, smiled a little, closed his eyes and slowly shook his head back and forth in amusement. I could see the debate playing out in his mind: Knock Emmett down a peg, or let him have his moment of glory, even if he was milking it for more than it was worth. "Yes, I suppose I am sorry," Carlisle began. "You, my son, have a gift that nobody else in this family has, and that's swagger. You're not afraid of anything or anyone, even when you probably should be, and that's exactly what Fred needs right now."

If it were possible, Emmett got just a little more puffed up and impressed with himself. "Come on, Fred. I'm gonna show you how it's done."

None of us had any idea what that meant, and I'm pretty sure Emmett didn't either, but he was prepared to take on the challenge.

"OK, first lesson. Your gift is baaaad, man! Them Vultures? They got nothin' on you! There ain't a one of 'em that can touch you. You understand me, boy? I'm tellin' you how it is now."

I wasn't sure when Emmett started impersonating TV evangelists, but he was doing a rather decent impression of one – a southern one, no less.

"You need to walk into Volterra like you OWN the place cause you do, my man. That place is yours, man. YOURS! You gotta claim it! When you're done there, they gonna call it Fredville! Can I get a witness?"

He looked at us expectantly and we looked at him rather curiously. Certainly he didn't expect us to actually verbalize an agreement to his silliness. Or maybe he did. It was Emmett, after all.

Fred looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the show. I didn't know if it was helping with his confidence, but it was most definitely lifting his spirits.

"OK, Fred. I'm gonna charge at you and you're gonna drop me in the dirt like a sacka-potatoes – a very suave, handsome, manly sacka-potatoes, that is…" Emmett grinned. "Ready?"

Fred nodded and Emmett ran at him slowly enough that I could see what was happening. I wasn't sure why… maybe to give Fred a little more time to prepare? Whatever it was, it worked because Emmett was, indeed, dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"See? That's all you needed… a pep talk." Emmett was quite proud of being able to 'fix' Fred so easily.

"Well, yeah, but that was simple. We're just playing here. What about when it's the real thing? What if I can't do it? I just feel like I'm going to let everyone down. I've really tried to be good at this, but…" Fred trailed off.

Carlisle spoke up. "Fred, I'm sorry. I don't think I've gone about this the right way. It seems I've been putting way too much pressure on you. I thought you were doing so well, so I just kept pushing, but I never asked how you were feeling about it. I didn't know you were having so many doubts. And until just now, I didn't realize you felt the weight of protecting the family on your shoulders! That is not your worry. We've held our own with the Volturi for many decades, and we'll continue to do so."

"But if something happened to all of you, after everything you've done for me…"

"I think what you're saying," Esme offered as she put her arm around Fred's shoulders, "is that you feel like part of this family now. I know I would do whatever I could, even gladly give my life, to save everyone here, and that includes you."

She looked to Carlisle for approval and he nodded. "We were going to wait until after Italy to do this, but Fred, we want to offer you a place in our family. Even if you don't stay with us, you can be Fred Cullen if you would like to take our name, and you will always be welcome with us as our son."

"Would I have to be a vegetarian?" Fred questioned.

"Yes, I'm afraid that is one very important aspect of being part of this family," Carlisle answered. "But I thought you had made your decision about that already."

"I did… it's just that humans still smell so delicious, I'm not sure I can do it," he sighed.

"We'll help you, just like we've always helped each other through the hard times," Esme comforted him.

"Could I call you 'mom' and 'dad'?" he asked, sounding very much like a lost little boy.

"Of course!" Esme chuckled and pulled him closer.

"Ummm…. OK, I think I'd like that…" he mumbled as he looked at the rest of us. "But how do all of you feel about having another brother?"

"Well, I _was_ looking forward to having an even number of males and females in the house when Bella becomes one of us, but I guess I can forgo that. Maybe you'll find a mate and then we'll be even again," Alice chirped happily.

"Then I guess you have my answer, too," Jasper smirked at his beaming wife.

"All I have to say is 'hot damn!'" Emmett hollered. Rosalie looked less thrilled, but she gave Fred a handshake and a little smile, which was much more than I got when we announced I was joining the family. But this wasn't the time for sour grapes. Jasper gave me a wink, seeming to know exactly how I was feeling, and somehow that made it a little better.

"I'm not quite a Cullen yet, so I can't officially speak as a member of the family, but I'm sure you know where I stand." I wanted give Fred a hug, but something told me it would not go over well with Edward. That something was most likely the fact that Edward attempted to annihilate Fred anytime we were within 50 feet of each other.

Edward was silent. He was debating with himself. Part of me wished he would do as Jasper had done with Alice and welcome Fred as I did. But another part of me wanted him to make his own decision apart from mine. So, I waited.

Finally, he spoke. "You and I have had our issues, but I admire your dedication to this family and anyone who is willing to fight for the Cullens can be my brother."

We all cheered as Edward and Fred shook hands before Fred pulled Edward into an embrace that he didn't look entirely comfortable accepting. I joined them, figuring the two of them could accommodate another in the mix. Pretty soon, everyone was involved, laughing and joking while Edward protected me from getting squashed in a vampire group hug.

**-…-**

After the frivolity died down, Rosalie asked an important question… one that was also on my mind. "So, this is great and everything, but how is joining the family going to help Fred? He already feels responsibility overload. Isn't this going to make it worse?"

OK, so I wouldn't have worded it in that way, but it was my same general question.

"I'm glad you asked that," Carlisle addressed Rosalie before turning to Fred. "You mentioned that you would like to call me 'dad,' and nothing would make me happier than calling you 'son.' As a son, Fred, you are on the same level as your brothers and sisters here. You are no more or no less responsible for everyone's well-being than Edward or Rose or Jasper. We all work together as a team, but Esme and I are the head of this family. I've been a vampire for almost 350 years, and in that time I've tried to become a man worthy of trust and respect. I believe I have that from my family and I'm very grateful for it."

He looked around to see us all nodding, and with a smile, he continued. "Fred, I hope that you will also trust me, knowing that I'll do my best, and I'll always put the family's needs ahead of my own. I can also promise you that I will not be perfect," he chuckled. "I am far from perfect, but I do try to learn from my mistakes and not make them again."

"That's easy," Fred responded. "I already trust you. I wouldn't be going to Italy if I didn't."

"I appreciate that," Carlisle said as he rested his hand on Fred's shoulder, "so I'm going to give you a new role as a member of my family. You are not solely responsible for everyone's safety. You are only responsible for what you can do, OK? It's the same as everyone else. If that means you can help thwart the attack of an enemy with your gift, that's great. And if you can't, that's fine, too. We'll figure it out together because that's what we do. Agreed?"

Fred looked around at all of us before sporting a huge, toothy grin. "Agreed." He and Carlisle shook hands and the hugging started again.

Alice sighed with relief. Of course, we all wanted to know why.

"I think it's safe to tell you now. Earlier, before Emmett got here, I saw Fred having some, shall we say, performance anxiety in front of the Volturi."

"No, we shall not say that! Geez, you guys pick all the worst phrases. Are you just TRYING to emasculate me here?" Fred complained loudly.

"OK, fine," Alice agreed. "Far be it from me to make you sound like a pansy!" Her giggle pealed through the empty space of the open field.

Fred simply rolled his eyes.

"Before I tell you the rest, you have to understand that everything is OK now, so don't freak out, OK?" Alice seemed nervous as she waited for Fred's response. He nodded in agreement.

"Well, when you realized you couldn't use your gift on Edward, you lost your confidence and I saw you not being able to show your gifts to the Volturi. Aro was not happy about that turn of events, and things went downhill from there. If I'd told you at the time, the knowledge would have essentially cemented your future, and probably most of ours as well. But now that you're officially a Cullen, I don't see anything bad happening right now."

"And being a Cullen made the difference?" Fred asked, puzzled.

"Well, indirectly, yes," she answered. "Now that you know we're not all relying on you to 'perform'" she made little quote marks in the air, "or save the day, you're going to relax and just do what you can."

"Oh, I am, am I?" he smiled at Alice. "And do you see this already, or are you just telling me this so I'll settle down, and then it will happen because you told me so?

"Ah, the age-old question about Alice's ability…" Carlisle interrupted. "We've spent MANY hours discussing that very thing. The answer we've come up with is, it doesn't really matter because she's right either way."

"Exactly!" Alice exclaimed as she jumped up and down clapping her hands.

Soon, everyone was back to practicing, but Carlisle had wisely shifted the focus of the training away from Fred and toward building a strong team. Since I was essentially the mascot for this team, there wasn't much I could do, so I went to base camp to see what Esme had packed in the huge cooler.

Surprisingly, it was only enough food for about three people. She usually packed for an army, so this was quite an improvement. Instead of quantity, however, I noticed she'd gone for variety this time. I had a few breads to choose from, a small meat and cheese tray, an assortment of sliced veggies, and perhaps every condiment that had ever been created, plus many I wouldn't know what to do with if I knew what they were supposed to be for. Mojito jelly? Oil infused with hibiscus flowers? Gongura leaves?

After making a reasonably sized turkey sandwich with only easily recognizable ingredients, I found several small containers of side salads. I had to snicker to myself when I realized how much work Esme had put into making my lunch after she'd insisted it was 'no big deal' and that she'd just 'thrown a few things together at the last minute.'

I took a bite or two of each one and they were all delicious. I wondered how someone who couldn't taste the food could make things that tasted so good, but I guess it was a matter of finding and following good recipes. I giggled out loud when I realized I would never have to worry about impressing the in-laws with my cooking skills.

"What's so funny, my love?" Edward asked as he suddenly appeared and then sauntered a few steps to the blanket, sitting down next to me.

"Nothing… I was just thinking about serving a flock of live turkeys for Thanksgiving," the image causing me to snicker again.

"Trust me, you won't be interested in anything bird-related when you're…" he reached to stroke my hair as his voice trailed off.

"When I'm Mrs. Cullen?" I finished for him.

He smiled brightly. "Yes, when you're Mrs. Edward Cullen." I could tell he liked the sound of that very much.

"Would that make you Mr. Isabella Swan Cullen?" I teased.

"You know, if it meant I could be your husband and you would be my wife, I'd change my name to anything you like."

"How about 'Rover?'" Fred called out to us.

"Or 'Fuzzy Widdo Bunny!'" Emmett suggested.

"Or '100 Year Old Virgin?'" Fred added. He and Emmett were almost doubled over with laughter.

"You idiots mind your own business," Edward yelled back with a grin on his face. We rolled our eyes at each other.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that," I mumbled.

"You won't. You'll learn to deal with it to a certain extent, but don't expect to get used to it," he chuckled.

"Well, at least pretty soon they won't be able to call you a virgin anymore," I purred.

Emmett and Fred started whooping and hollering, which is exactly what I'd intended. I winked at Edward, but he already knew what I was doing and leaned in to kiss me. It started as a sweet little kiss, but rapidly grew from there. Thoughts of Fred and Emmett disappeared, that is until the two of them suddenly appeared next to the blanket.

"Oh, kiss me, Bella! I love you so much," Fred impersonated Edward.

"I love you, too, Fuzzy Widdo Bunny," panted a high-pitched, breathless Emmett.

Edward told me, "I'll be right back," before he tore out after Fred and Emmett who were already on the run. I stood to get a better view. They all moved so fast, I couldn't see the details, but I knew when Fred went invisible because Edward would run right past him. Emmett wasn't so lucky – he got mowed over a few times. He tried to tackle Edward, or get Fred to join him in an attack, but Edward could read their minds and dodge before they got to him.

Fred and Emmett huddled, but how they thought they could make a plan without Edward knowing was beyond me. They started side-by-side in a football stance and took off running directly at Edward. Fred obviously went invisible because Edward was no longer tracking him. Only I could see that he was running a wide pattern away from Edward. Emmett also swung wide at the last second and the two of them came barreling toward each other. When it seemed inevitable that they would make an Edward-sandwich, he jumped out of the way and the two of them ran smack into each other. The crash of granite against granite seemed to echo for miles. The whole family stopped what they were doing, all of us wincing before the hilarity of the situation hit.

It may have been the single funniest thing I had ever witnessed in my life. Even Emmett and Fred, sitting in the dirt and shaking the cobwebs out of their foggy noggins, couldn't help but laugh.

Edward made his way back over to me. I put up my hand to high-five him, but he took my hand in his and used it to pull me into his arms. "You're a sneaky one, Mr. Cullen," I said coyly. "And those Neanderthals thought they could best you…"

"I'll admit, they almost did. Emmett isn't usually that good at hiding his thoughts, but he was reciting baseball stats. It was Fred that gave it away. I couldn't see him, but I heard him thinking how funny it was going to be when they smashed me. I gauged Emmett's trajectory and got out of the way a fraction of a second before impact."

"And here I thought you were waiting on purpose for dramatic effect. I'm disappointed," I playfully pouted.

"That was definitely more comedy than drama!" he laughed, nibbling on my protruding lower lip.

"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

"Most things don't hurt me, but that? THAT would have hurt!" he guffawed as he gestured to the still-slightly-dazed Fred and Emmett. Carlisle was standing between them, his shoulders shaking with laughter as he attempted to assess whatever injuries they might have.

"I guess I don't have to worry about brain damage," I heard him say. "That ship has obviously sailed."

**-…-**

We returned to the house in the late afternoon. Esme was fussing over what to make me for dinner. I told her I could have another sandwich, but she wouldn't hear of it. To my surprise, Fred offered to join her in the kitchen. He'd never shown any interest in cooking, but maybe now that he was a Cullen, he was interesting in all things culinary. I'd have to save that particular joke for later.

Where Esme followed recipes to the letter, Fred seemed to like to experiment. He frequently called me over to taste one thing or another. They were making enough chicken enchiladas to feed a professional football team and everything I tried was really good, until I got to Fred's homemade sauce.

"Fred, take it easy on the peppers!" I yelped. "I'd like to have a few taste buds left after this dinner is over, not to mention a stomach lining!"

"Sorry, Bella. I just thought if one pepper was good, three would be even better!"

"Maybe you need to adhere to the old saying… less is more," I half-teased as my lips burned.

"I really wish you'd just follow the recipe," Esme scolded. "I enjoy having you in the kitchen with me, but you have to follow the rules or you can't help cook for Bella anymore, OK?"

"Yes… mom…" Fred said timidly as he looked at Esme through his long lashes.

She chucked her finger under his chin and then pulled him into a tight hug, which he happily reciprocated. In that moment, I realized he wasn't interested in cooking at all. He just wanted to spend time with his new mother.

**-…-**

I slept well that night with Edward, as always, at my side. I woke to the realization that it was the Fourth of July, largely due to someone setting off loud, smoky fireworks next door. I wondered if they realized the point was to shoot them after dark when the sparkly lights showed up best against the night sky, not at… 10:22 am? I didn't usually sleep so late.

"Well, my sleeping beauty finally decides to grace me with her consciousness," he murmured sweetly before trying to kiss me.

"Morning breath!" I garbled through my hand-covered mouth.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," he chortled, thinking he was ever so funny.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but then gave him a closed-lip peck on the lips before bounding out of bed to get the bathroom part of my morning routine out of the way.

When I came back, feeling fresh and rather invigorated, I ran to the bed and pounced on him. I ended up straddling his waist and pinning his wrists to the bed above his head. I was fairly sure he wasn't protesting because he certainly didn't put up a fight. "You're mine," I growled at him playfully before laying my body fully on his and kissing him as deeply as we could, given his sharp teeth and venom and all. He was delicious.

When I came up for air, he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "I should make sure you sleep in more often!"

"That's sort of weird, you know. I almost never sleep this late."

"Well… you had a bit of a rough night, actually. I didn't expect you to be in such a good mood this morning. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE this mood. I just didn't expect it."

"What happened?"

"You were flailing around a lot and talking about the Volturi, almost like you were fighting them. It would have been quite amusing if I didn't worry that you weren't sleeping very well."

"It's nice that you find my human weakness so entertaining," I scowled.

"Hey, it wasn't like that," Edward assured me. "You would have found it funny, too. I mean, seriously, Bella, think about one little human taking on a whole roomful of murderous vampires."

"May I remind you that I've done it before?"

He sighed. We both knew he was treading in dangerous water here and he'd better figure a good way out of it or he was going to drown quickly. "I'm talking about physical combat. I don't want to downplay what you did in any way, because it was amazing and you're the only human who's ever faced the Volturi like you did and lived. What you were doing in your dreams, from what I could see, was hand-to-hand combat. I'm sorry to say if that had happened, the outcome would have been much different."

"Well-played, my dear," I commended him. "Now bring that smooth tongue of yours over here."

He was all too happy to comply. I heard more fireworks, but I wasn't sure this time if they were coming from the neighbors or inside my own head.

We stayed in bed for a few hours, kissing, talking, laughing, and more kissing… Edward was getting a little braver every time we had one of these make-out sessions, and it took longer before he would bolt from the bed to the other side of the room. I'd give him time to calm himself before inviting him back to the bed for some more talking, and then more laughing and kissing and bolting. I didn't mind his need to escape anymore, since he'd explained it to me. I continued to be proud of him for trying and knew it would pay off on the night of August 13th.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It was early evening when Edward heard the police cruiser headed toward home. I was just finishing dinner and I ran my fingers through my ponytail, just to make sure it was still tamed. Aside from a few trips to the bathroom and kitchen, I'd spent the majority of my day in bed with Edward. The last thing I needed was to explain crazy, frizzy bed-head to my father, especially when I had so recently openly declared our virtuous intent to wait until our wedding night. We were still waiting, but it wouldn't look like it to Charlie and I didn't ever want to have to get into that particular discussion with him again.

I looked out the kitchen window to see Charlie climbing out of the car with a bag in his hand.

"He has your blue hoodie," Edward said quietly.

"What?" I whispered back, even though I'd heard him just fine.

"Just act natural and go with the story we already agreed to."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have to worry about sweat dripping down your forehead when you're under interrogation," I snipped.

"You'll be fine," he tried to reassure me, but it merely caused me to roll my eyes.

His phone buzzed indicating a text message had been received just as I heard the doorknob begin to turn.

"Alice says 'volleyball.' Do you know what that means?" Edward asked.

"No idea," I shrugged as I passed by him on my way to greet Charlie.

"Hey, dad! I didn't know if you'd be home on time since it's National Mass Civil Disobedience Day and all."

Charlie chuckled, but Edward looked puzzled. "It's Charlie's name for the Fourth of July," I explained.

"Well, that's what it is. I get tired of these yahoos shooting off the illegal stuff. And doing it drunk, no less. Brainless morons… they're lucky if all they lose is a finger or get their eyebrows singed," he grumbled.

I laughed. "You see, Edward, Charlie has almost no opinion on the subject whatsoever."

"Yeah, well, make fun all you want, Bells, but one of these days, these idiots are going to cause a serious problem and then watch how fast the laws tighten up. So, you kids headed down to see the fireworks at First Beach? I have to go back on patrol or I'd be there myself. They always seem to put on a pretty good show."

"No, sir, we're going to my house to set off some M-80s and bottle rockets," Edward said with a straight face. Charlie looked at him sternly and was about to start a lecture when Edward's smile told him it was just a joke.

"So, what's in the bag?" I asked, knowing very well what was in the bag.

"Oh, yeah…" Charlie started. "I had to go down to the school yesterday about a petty theft case and Principal Greene and I were looking through the lost and found when I came across this."

He pulled my turquoise hoodie out of the bag. The sleeves had been cut off per my instructions to Edward.

"Oh, cool!" I enthused, taking the offensive shirt I really never wanted to see again in my life. "I thought this was gone for good."

"I figured you might like to have it," Charlie said nonchalantly. "So, Bella, why did you cut off the sleeves? You're usually so cold."

On the inside, I froze, but I knew I couldn't let Charlie see my reaction. I'd had Edward cut off the sleeves so Charlie wouldn't think it was the same shirt I was wearing in Vancouver that day. I hadn't thought about him asking me follow-up questions… he didn't usually, so I didn't anticipate it, although perhaps I should have planned for it in this case.

Suddenly, it came to me. In an equally nonchalant tone as his, I answered, "We were playing volleyball in gym and every time I tried to bump the ball, it would go flying in the wrong direction. People were telling me to take off my hoodie, but I was cold, so I agreed to cut the sleeves short so I could hit the ball. Well, you know me and sports… it didn't help much, but I did manage to get the ball over the net a few times…"

"Hmmph," he snorted. "Well, most people just roll up their sleeves. I guess they're your clothes, so you can do with them what you want."

"It's not like I just go around cutting up all my clothes or anything," I sassed. "I tried pushing up the sleeves, but the wristbands were too tight."

"Oh… well, I guess that makes sense," he said distantly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I made that chicken and rice you like. Want some?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Charlie answered, seeming to come out of a fog. "I'm just going to wash up first."

He headed upstairs while Edward and I looked at each other with wide eyes. "Volleyball," he mumbled.

"Yeah, apparently so. That was a close one."

"That was the dictionary definition of a close one," he responded.

"So, was any of that story about working on a theft case true?" I asked, although I wasn't sure if I wanted to know or not.

"No, none of it. He made it up as an excuse to get the principal down there to open the lost and found. I think he's sort of become obsessed with this thing in Canada. I can't tell how many times he's watched that video clip, but he's really convinced that we are the people in the video."

"You know, it really bothers me that he's suspicious of us, but then again, I can't really argue that point since we ARE the people in the video. I just wish he'd move on. Everyone else has…" I grumbled.

"Well, everyone but the US and Canadian Centers for Disease Control. They started a joint task force about it."

My brow furrowed. "How do you know that?"

"Jasper and Carlisle have been watching for news. Plus there's always Alice."

"Yes, Alice. I'll have to thank her, although did she have to be so cryptic? I almost missed her meaning."

"Did you really expect something different? It's Alice!" he laughed.

We heard Charlie clomping down the stairs, so I pulled the casserole out of the oven. Just as he entered the kitchen, Edward said, "Well, I'd better get going. When Emmett barbeques, you don't want to be late."

"Oh, Bella, you're not going?" Charlie asked.

"I'll head over later when you go back to work. I'm leaving for Europe the day after tomorrow, so I thought I'd stay home and have dinner with you, if that's OK."

"OK? That's much better than OK!" Charlie turned to Edward. "That is, if you think you can spare her for a few hours."

I knew he meant it as a joke, but it still touched me that my dad was essentially asking my fiancé to share his time with me. Perhaps I was reading too much into it, but that sounded like acceptance. Maybe not approval, but I would take acceptance over anything else my father had dished out to poor Edward.

Edward nodded politely, and then put on the drama. "Although I will suffer greatly from not having her constantly at my side, I probably won't die… or at least not right away. Unless it's by Emmett's pork ribs."

We shared a laugh and I offered to walk Edward out. That's when I realized his car wasn't here. Just as I was about to say something, a horn honked in the driveway.

"Is that Alice?" Charlie called from the kitchen.

"Yes," I called back without even having checked to see if I was right. Of course it was Alice.

"I love you," Edward murmured quietly with his lips already touching mine. "I'll be back to get you when Charlie goes back to work, OK? Why don't you see if you can spend the night?"

"I'll see. Charlie will be at work all day tomorrow anyway, so I doubt he'll mind." I stood on my tiptoes to give him another kiss. "I love you, too."

We heard Charlie sigh rather loudly, which was our cue to actually part ways. "I'll be back soon," Edward promised as he went out the door.

Charlie and I had a nice talk during dinner, which was a rarity to say the least. I was hardly ever uncomfortable with my father, but our time was mostly spent in nice, companionable silence.

"Bells, I know you're just going on vacation and everything, but your… you know… your _wedding_ will be a couple of weeks after that, and I just can't help but feel like I'm losing my little girl way too soon."

"Oh, dad…" and I started to say he wasn't losing me, but the fact of the matter was, that's exactly what would be happening. "I'm always going to be your little girl, no matter what."

I felt that was a safe statement. It was 100% true, although admittedly misleading. None of us had any idea what we might be facing in Italy. Even Alice wasn't able to say more than she thought we would all be alright. The Volturi had apparently only decided one thing, and that was they would decide Fred's, and possibly my, fate after the tests and trials were concluded.

Carlisle didn't think Aro would go back on his word to allow me to be changed on our schedule, especially since it was such a short time away, but none of us trusted Aro's word enough to feel comfortable about it, not even Carlisle. We would just have to hope for the best.

We were all equally confident that Aro didn't want me dead. Even Edward was sure of that part. The fear was that, in exchange for allowing me to live, he demand that I be changed in Volterra and force me to become a member-in-training of his elite guard. If he did that, he would gain Edward in the bargain, too, and he knew it. Aro would have a difficult time finding a way around his prior ruling, however, and we had to believe he didn't have any tricks up his sleeve that we couldn't handle as a family.

Charlie sighed, bringing me back to the moment. "I suppose so," he muttered unhappily. I had gotten so lost in my musings that I didn't remember what he was commenting about, but I just nodded, feeling reasonably sure I wasn't agreeing to stay locked in my room for the next 12 years.

"I'm gonna miss you while you're gone, and I'm gonna miss your cooking almost as much. This was a great dinner, Bells. I really appreciate all you do around here. I know I don't tell you that very often…" he trailed off.

"I know. You don't have to say it." I could feel my face flush as a result of his compliment. Then I came up with a great idea. "You know, dad, Esme loves to cook and I bet she would be thrilled to help me make up a few things for the freezer so you don't starve to death while I'm gone."

"Quit making fun of your old man," he laughed. "I know I can't make anything fancy, but I managed to feed myself before you came along and I imagine I can figure it out again. Of course, there's always the diner. When you moved here, they lost their best customer!"

"So, are you saying you miss the diner?" I teased.

"It's not so bad, but miss it? Naw… I will miss you, though…" he said somberly, and I knew he wasn't talking about food anymore.

"Aw, Charlie, you'll be fine. We'll still keep in touch. It's not like I'm going to forget my dad or something, just because I get married and go off to college." What I didn't say was that I might forget him just because I was going to become a vampire, but Edward had promised to help me remember after the change.

"I know… I guess you'd be headed off to college whether you got married or not. It's just…" his voice faded.

"It's just that you don't approve of me marrying Edward," I filled in the blank.

"I don't really _approve_ of you ever marrying anyone!" he blurted. "No dad wants to see his baby girl go off with some guy who's not worthy of her. That's just the way it is… for all dads. But if you just have to get married at 18, I suppose you could do worse than Edward Cullen."

I burst out laughing. "Well, that's a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one!"

After we cleared the dishes, Charlie and I went into the living room, and per usual, he flipped on the TV. The local news was just wrapping up with the 7-day forecast… warm with occasional sun breaks. Typical 'summer' weather in Forks. The Mariners beat the Oakland A's, which Charlie already knew, but just hearing it seemed to make him happy all over again, and then came the top stories of the night – some warehouse was burning in the industrial area of Seattle, a dog found its way home after going missing almost three years ago, the person who caused the flash sickness in Vancouver, BC, came forward, and a high school student was suing…

I froze. I probably looked stunned, mostly because I was, but thankfully Charlie wasn't looking at me. He was staring strangely at the TV. If I didn't already know what was going through his mind, I might have asked him about his odd reaction, but as it was, I didn't want to even act like I'd heard the broadcaster's voice.

A few moments later, the national news led with the story. "Good evening. Canadian and US authorities have released new information about the June 16th flash illness in Vancouver, BC. We go to Brian Stanford, live at Riley Park in Vancouver. Brian?"

"Thanks, Pete. That's right. Someone has come forward claiming to be the person who caused the sickness, although he says he doesn't know how it happened. Randall Alan Slater, a Canadian citizen, claims to have been making a private delivery and was waiting in the park for someone to pick up the suspicious package in his possession. When they didn't come, he became curious and opened the sealed case, inadvertently releasing a fast-acting toxin of some kind. He said he was terrified and ran off before the authorities arrived, dropping the case into a dumpster about a half mile away."

They began rolling the video clip again. "When asked about the video where he seems to disappear, he said he didn't understand why it appeared that way. He did admit to dragging the young man, as you see here, and wanted to apologize to him, knowing now that he was just trying to help. Officials have asked any bystanders who left the scene before the hazardous materials teams arrived, especially the four people who went to check on Mr. Slater after the incident, to please call the hotline shown at the bottom of your screen. You may need medical treatment. Live from Riley Park in Vancouver, BC, this is Brian Stanford reporting. Back to you, Pete."

"Brian, is Mr. Slater considered a suspect at this time?" the TV anchor asked.

"At this point, Pete, he is being held for questioning. Police are still trying to determine his role, although it may prove that he was an innocent bystander as well."

"And the people who approached him, were they involved with this toxin?"

"Good question, Pete. From Mr. Slater's statement, he says he did not know the people who came to help him and thought they were, quote 'just Good Samaritans.' He did get the name of one woman who was wearing a medical ID badge, a nurse named Samantha who he described as being in her mid-30s. Police are looking for the missing nurse, and ask anyone with information to please contact the number at the bottom of the screen."

"Well, that is a very interesting update on a very puzzling mystery. Keep us posted, Brian."

As the broadcasters moved on to other news, I sat there feeling like my head might explode at any minute. I knew Charlie was going to talk as soon as his own mind stopped whirling and I so wished Edward was there not only for support, but to tell me what Charlie was thinking. I could only guess that if Edward needed to be with me right now, Alice would have sent him, which was the only relief to the tension I felt.

"Well," Charlie started, still staring at the TV, "that was interesting."

"Yeah… weird, huh," I mumbled almost unintelligibly.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't like the idea of mystery chemicals that can make people sick being that close to home. And to think you were only about 50 miles from there when it happened. That's a little too close for comfort."

"Yeah, but it only traveled in the area of the park, right?" I asked, knowing it only affected the people close by, which of course was where I was at the time, but I didn't exactly think it would be a good idea to mention that part.

"Well, I suppose that's true," Charlie sighed. "I'm just glad someone came forward so we can all put this behind us now. I just hope they can find who this guy was carrying chemicals for."

I smirked a little, knowing most people already had put this behind them. Charlie was still investigating it on his own, but it sounded like he was going to put it to rest now, too.

We sat in silence for a short time, both of us engrossed in our own thoughts until we were startled by the sound of loud pops and whistling from the fireworks at the neighbors. "Well, I gotta get back to work. I'm assuming you'll be spending the night at the Cullens?"

"Is that OK with you? I don't have to, but it would be more convenient. I could be home for dinner tomorrow, since we leave the next day…" I offered.

"That'd be great, kiddo," he smiled. We both stood and shared an awkward hug. "I love you, Bells. Just don't go and forget about your old man when you… you know…"

"Wait a second. Who are you again?" I teased.

"Very funny…" he said with a little laugh. After putting on his gun belt and jacket, he was out the door.

I picked up the phone to call Edward, but before I could even dial, I saw headlights in the driveway. I ran to pull the door open and of course he was already there. We shared a hurried kiss; hurried because I needed answers.

"I'm assuming you saw the news. Who was that guy?"

"He works for the Volturi," Edward answered like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"He was human, though. They showed his picture."

"Yes, that's true. Remember Gianna?"

Then it clicked in my head. "He wants to be one of them…"

"I'm sure he will get his wish after this. There were too many questions, and even though vampires would never be implicated, the Volturi felt it was best to provide some sort of answers. Humans love a mystery, and they can't let it go unsolved. This gave them a place to start looking."

"The wrong place…" I added.

"Yes, and now they're looking for some underworld chemical weapons dealers and a made-up nurse. That was Alice's idea, by the way."

"Wait! What? The nurse? Alice knew? How long? And how did her idea become part of the plan?

He chuckled at my long line of questioning. "Alice knew when they decided to send someone in. She called Aro and asked him to add the nurse part to get you off the hook with your father. He agreed, not necessarily for your benefit, but because your father is in law enforcement. The fewer officials looking for clues, the better, especially when they're so close to the source."

"And nobody told me this?" I practically bellowed.

"I didn't know because I was here with you all day, but she told me on the way home tonight. I started to call you right away, but she said it would be better if you didn't know in advance," he shrugged.

"How on earth could it be better if I didn't know?" I yelled. "That makes no sense. I think Alice sometimes just makes this stuff up as she goes along."

"We think that all the time," he laughed, "but when we don't listen to Alice, it almost always goes badly, so we've just accepted her _mysterious ways_." He shook his hands in the air and made 'ghost' sounds to punctuate his sentence.

"Well, it looks like Charlie is off the trail now, so that's one worry down. He was fine with me spending the night at your house. In fact, he suggested it, but I told him I'd be home for dinner tomorrow… you know, since it might be my last one and everything."

"Oh, Bella, I don't want you worrying about things like that. It is highly unlikely that Aro will do anything to countermand his previous ruling."

I snorted. "Highly unlikely? That's not a guarantee! How am I supposed to not worry? And besides, I'm not as much worried about myself as I am about Fred and, well… all of us. Aro is going to want Fred and we already figured out a way he could easily make it happen, and we're not nearly as devious as the Volturi! Are we going to fight for Fred's freedom if it comes down to it?"

Edward thought long and hard about that. "Let's go."

"What are you thinking?" I asked as I grabbed my jacket.

"Another family meeting."

**-…-**

Shock of shocks, everyone was already sitting at the dining room table when we came in.

"You're finally here!" Alice exclaimed as if she'd been waiting for several days instead of several minutes.

"Can we finally find out why we needed this meeting?" Emmett grumbled. "Fred and I left a bitchin' game of Mario Cart for this, so it'd better be good."

"Bella brought up something interesting while we were at her house and it's something I think we've probably all thought about to some extent, but we haven't actually discussed it as a family," Edward started.

"And that is…?" Emmett said impatiently, trying to get Edward to make his point.

"Well, we've all agreed that we will do whatever it takes to make sure all nine of us live through this visit to Volterra, but what if it comes down to something like someone's freedom? Let's say Aro figures out a way to make Fred stay. Are we going to defy the Volturi and risk almost certain death to see him freed? We've all agreed this is unlikely, but what if they demand to turn Bella and keep her there? What if they offer to let us all go unharmed if Alice stays? There are so many possibilities, and I wouldn't have even thought to bring them up except that Bella reminded me that we're not as 'devious as the Volturi,'" Edward finished by making little quotation marks in the air.

Everyone looked around at each other, not sure what to say.

Fred was the first to pipe up. "If they decide to keep me, you can't risk yourselves for my freedom. I'd just stay with the Vultures until I found a chance to escape, so don't anyone try to go all heroic over me, OK?"

"They'd hunt you down, you know…" Esme murmured sadly.

"Hey, mom, give me some credit! I'd stay long enough to find out their strategies and weaknesses and then I'd literally disappear. Yeah, I'd be on the run, but they'd never catch me if I knew how to watch out for them," Fred boasted.

"I hope you're right about that," Carlisle said, "but I really hope it won't come down to that."

"They ain't keeping Alice without a fight, that's for damn sure," Jasper growled.

"I'd argue with you, but I feel the same way about Bella," Edward empathized.

"Sorry to bust in on your gloom-and-doom-fest here, Edward," Rosalie snarked, "but chances are, none of this is going to happen, so why are we all getting our panties in a bunch about nothing? If something happens, we'll deal with it like we always do."

"Rose, to be fair to Edward," Carlisle began cautiously, "these are things we should always think about. We're talking about our values and what we are and aren't willing to do, or to lose, to keep true to our beliefs, and to keep our family together. That being said, Edward, Rosalie is also right. We can't plan for every contingency, even though I'm sure Jasper is trying to."

He grinned at Jasper, who shot him a wink. Carlisle knew his son all too well.

"Thank you, Edward and Bella, for bringing your thoughts and concerns out into the open," Carlisle continued. "And as much as I think we need to discuss our values, I also think we need not react to things that haven't happened. Talking about it is always important, and the best form of preparation."

"H" Emmett snickered, causing Fred to laugh, too.

"Oh, I see what you did there," Rosalie chided her husband sarcastically. "More of your witty fascination with human bodily functions, I see. I'm so proud."

"Aw, come on, Rosie! That was a good one," he bellyached. "You gotta admit it."

"I don't 'gotta' admit anything, except that I'm married to an idiot."

"And that you love me, you gotta admit that," Emmett said as he sauntered over to his wife and wrapped his big, burly body around her. As they kissed, she managed to bop him in the back of the head, which meant all was right with their world.

**-…-**

**A/N:** So, we're very close to heading off to Italy. I really think I need to take a trip there myself, solely for research purposes, of course. You KNOW how dedicated I am to accuracy in storytelling.

Re: The date they found Fred – I pulled it from the Twilight Lexicon Timeline. If you think it's wrong, it's not my fault!

Hope you are enjoying the story and please review! Your comments really make me smile. A lot.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: It's been a while since I posted a chapter. Sorry about that! I just got back from eight days in Tucson, and while the sun was nice, the rain, cold, and overcast skies of Portland are still home to me. Before that, I was doing some grant writing on the side, which quite honestly consumed all my creative energy (and energy in general) for a couple of weeks, but that's all done and now I can get back to Fred!

Chapter 28

The Fourth of July came and went without much commotion, unless you count the M80s, bottle rockets, and other high-flying illegal fireworks Jasper and Rosalie just had to set off. I'd thought Edward was joking with my dad about these things, and fortunately, so did Charlie, but it turns out Edward was actually confessing.

We were far enough from civilization that we would never be caught, so I wasn't worried about my hyper-vigilant father. I rode in on the back of a vampire. Anyone else would have to be dropped from a helicopter to get to this place. Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Edward and I sat on some blankets at a fair distance to watch the show.

Of course, Emmett and Fred couldn't wait to light off the explosives they'd been manufacturing in their free time. It was a good thing they were vampires because as humans, they would have given a new meaning to the term 'hands free' after the second or third homemade firecracker exploded rather than shooting into the sky as it was intended.

"Aren't they worried about catching on fire? I mean, don't vampires generally avoid fire as much as possible?" I asked while still gazing at the bursts of light filling the night sky.

Edward didn't miss a beat. "That's why I'm over here, love. I'm not stupid," he laughed.

"I thought you were here to be with me!" I griped in mock offense.

"That is also true. Like I said, I'm not stupid." He leaned in to kiss my temple as he pulled me closer.

After a world-class grand finale, all the fireworks were finally spent and frankly, so was I. A huge yawn I'd been trying to suppress could not be staved off any longer and Edward gave me 'the look'… the one that meant you're-supposed-to-tell-me-when-you-have-human-needs-so-I-can-take-care-of-them-and-not-feel-like-the-world's-worst-fiancé-ever.

I gave him an impish grin in return, the one that said yeah-I-know-but-if-I-tell-you-these-things-you'll-insist-we-leave-and-I'll-miss-out-on-everything. Or something to that effect.

The rest of the family was staying behind to hunt and get in a few 11th hour practice sessions with Fred. We bid everyone good night while Edward got me situated on his back for the trek home. I generally preferred this over bridal style because I always had visions of Edward misjudging the position of a boulder and slamming into it, thus sandwiching me between his granite form and that of the rock. Of course, Edward would never let that happen, but I just couldn't really relax and my muscles would all be tensed up by the end of the run.

I was extremely glad Edward couldn't read those particular thoughts because it would probably hurt his feelings; he'd think I didn't trust him. It wasn't that… it was just my own random brain being random.

Once home, all I could think about was taking a nice hot bath, and wishing Edward would join me. Just as I stepped into the water, I heard the lovely strains of a string quartet playing softly over the speakers.

I had just settled in when Edward knocked quietly and called through the door, "Bella, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, you fell asleep. If you're that tired, you should come to bed."

It was only then I realized I had, indeed, fallen asleep in the bathtub. The water had gotten a little cold and I began to shiver. "Just a minute. I've got to warm up again!"

He chuckled through the door. "Take your time, but hurry! I miss you."

"You could come in and join me," I said as coyly as possible, taunting him just a bit.

"Bella," he growled, "don't tempt me like that. I'm not that strong, you know."

"That's exactly why I'm trying to tempt you."

"You are incorrigible, Miss Swan," he sighed.

"And you are inscrutable, Mr. Cullen."

"Yet you still try to scrute me."

"I plan to spend a lot of time scruting you in the future," I giggled.

"You are a naughty girl, Isabella Marie," he playfully chided. "Just come out when you're done and you'd better be wearing clothes."

I almost snorted. The thought of coming out sans clothing had never really crossed my mind, but it was rapidly crossing back and forth now. Fortunately for Edward, I was far too shy and lacking confidence in my body to ever try a stunt like that.

Once I was warm again, I pulled my seemingly boneless self out of the tub, dried off, put on my shorts, tank top, and fuzzy slippers, and threw my hair into a messy bun. I stepped out of the bathroom into a toasty warm bedroom.

Edward eyed me appreciatively, love radiating from his entire being. "You are simply breathtaking," he whispered, apparently awe-stricken.

Of course, I started to feel the blush rising in my cheeks. It certainly didn't take much, especially when he looked at me like I was some sort of goddess when I knew I looked frumpy and tired. I was the polar opposite of sexy, yet with one intense gaze, Edward could make me feel like the most beautiful and desirable woman on the planet. It made me uncomfortable and yet I never wanted it to stop.

Edward sauntered over to me, that lopsided grin on his face. I could feel my breathing and heart rate increase with each of his steps. In moments, he was in front of me, gently stroking my face with his cool fingertips. It felt heavenly against my heated skin.

"That blush is going to be the death of me," he whispered. "Well, it would be if I wasn't already dead, but you know what I mean."

"Oh, stop it. There's a mirror in the bathroom, you know. I look like something the cat wouldn't even bother to drag in."

"Bella, you couldn't be more beautiful than you are right now. And in another 40 days, when I have the honor of becoming your husband, I can finally show you more fully how beautiful I think you are," he said with a devilish grin.

I had no choice but to roll my eyes. "Edward, really… you've built me up in your mind so much, I don't think I can help but be a major disappointment."

"You could never disappoint me, love. You're already so much more than I ever thought possible."

Before I could continue my argument, and believe me I had planned to, he placed the tiniest kiss on my lips, followed immediately by another and another. Soon, we were kissing in earnest and I forgot about anything in the world but him and me.

We made our way over to the bed, still joined at the lips. I really wanted to spend more intimate time like this, but as soon as I was horizontal, my eyelids started feeling heavy, and before I knew it, I was out for the night.

**-…-**

The next morning, I woke to a much different mood than had prevailed in the Cullen household the night before. Gone were all signs of frivolity and playfulness; in their place was a sense of foreboding and dread. I didn't like it, but I understood it. The next day, we would be on a plane facing an unknown future.

Most people didn't have the option of knowing the road ahead, but we had Alice, and with her, raised expectations about what we should be able to know before the fact. With the Volturi obviously not making any decisions, most likely to thwart Alice, we were almost as in the dark as anyone else would be.

We had a general idea of what to expect. We knew Fred would be tested, probably quite thoroughly. Aro apparently had some hoops for me to jump through as well. I couldn't imagine what he might want from me this time. I'd already proven that my mind was closed to both him and Jane. Did he think I should fight with Felix or play hide-and-seek with Demitri?

For me, this trip could be a matter of life and death, or unlife and undeath as the case may be. An all-expenses paid European vacation with my fiancé should be more fun than that.

I ate my French toast in silence as I watched the Cullens get to the business at hand. Of course, Alice had everyone packed ages ago, so taking the luggage out to the cars was about a 12-second chore. Esme and Fred were finishing up some casseroles and things for Charlie. At least I knew he wouldn't starve.

It was Carlisle, however, that captured my attention. He stood stock still in the living room, looking out toward the forest, with one hand gripping the hair on the back of his head. He looked like a statue… a worried statue. It was so unlike him to appear rattled that it shook my confidence to the core.

As if he knew I was watching, he turned abruptly and met my eyes, forcing a smile onto his lips, but that expression wasn't reflected in any other way. I tried to smile back, and I'm sure mine wasn't any more convincing.

"Are you OK?" we both asked each other at the same time. That brought out a genuine smile in both of us as he made his way to the breakfast nook and sat down across from me.

"Ladies first," he offered.

I didn't quite know what to say, so I blurted out the first thing on my mind. "You seem nervous, and I've never seen you nervous. Be straight with me. Is this worse than anyone is letting me know?"

He looked at his hands as they rested on the table and huffed out a quick breath. "Nobody is hiding anything from you, if that's what you mean. I don't know if it's worse than it seems, and that's what makes it worse. We just don't know what we're going to face."

"I'm trying!" Alice wailed from upstairs.

"I know. I'm not criticizing you," Carlisle said in a normal speaking voice. "Just like the rest of us, you can only do what you can do."

"I feel like such a liability," I muttered. "I wish I was strong enough to do something."

"Bella…" Carlisle reached his hand across the table to rest on mine. "You are strong."

I gave him the don't-start-with-me glare.

He chuckled. "I know you're probably sick of hearing it, and I know when you say 'strong,' you mean physically, but you have a strength about you that has helped you persevere through a few dozen vampires hell-bent on taking your life. I've never seen a human like you, and that's saying a lot considering how many humans I've met in all my years."

"Well, it doesn't hurt that I have seven vampires protecting me at all times," I chided him.

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Fred piped up from somewhere in the house.

"Fine! I used to have seven and now I have eight. Happy?" I yelled in Fred's general direction. Since he didn't answer, I had to assume he was satisfied.

"Who would have guessed Fred would become one of your fiercest defenders?" Carlisle mused.

"I know, right? I have to admit, it kind of gives me hope, seeing a newborn being able to control his bloodlust like that. I can't imagine that I would ever want to taste human blood," I said, shaking my head and looking duly disgusted.

"Sorry to say this, but I'm sure you'll want to," Carlisle answered. "But at least you have the advantage of knowing you don't have to. And we'll always be there to help you. All _eight_ of us."

"Thank you!" Fred sing-songed from another room.

I finished my breakfast and washed my dishes, watching the flurry of activity in and around the house. Suddenly I felt someone kissing the back of my neck.

"I certainly hope that's you, Edward," I laughed.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

"Of course not, silly boy. Just double-checking."

"Bella, sweetheart…," he paused awkwardly, instantly making me tense, "…everybody thinks I should hunt before the trip. I told them I'd be fine, but Emmett actually made a good point. If we do get… delayed, I may not have an opportunity again for a while."

"You mean 'detained,' don't you," I stated rather than asked. "You think they're going to hold us captive?"

"No, I don't think so, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared for as many things as we can. Fred and Emmett are going, too. Emmett's not thirsty. He just wants to steal a bear from Fred."

"Payback, baby!" Emmett yelled from outside. I just shook my head…

"Can you take me home first? I want to pack up a few things," I asked Edward.

"No!" Alice interrupted, bursting into the room before he could answer. "No way! You are NOT packing anything. I bought you everything you'll need. Even new sweatpants!" She scrunched up her face in the same look of disgust I had at the thought of drinking blood.

"Geez, Alice, take a pill!" I exclaimed. "I'm not talking about packing up the contents of my room. Just a few things that make me feel comfortable."

Alice started to speak, but Edward quickly cut her off. "Give it a rest, Alice. If Bella brings some of her own things, it's OK. She can bring everything she owns if she wants to. It's not the end of the world."

"Apparently we have different definitions of world-ending events," Alice pouted. "But," she chirped, "since Edward is going hunting, I get to go home with you, so I can help you pack!"

"Oh, joy of joys," I dead-panned. "Do I have to have a babysitter?"

**-…-**

Four hours later, Alice and I were still arguing over which clothes I could bring and which ones would likely cause a 'fashion riot' on the streets of Italy. She could be so melodramatic. I highly doubted my frayed gray sweats with holes starting to form at the knees would cause an international disturbance, and if it did, the Italians really needed to find another hobby.

"Charlie's coming home early," Alice announced. "Do you want me to stay for dinner or do you want some private time with your dad? OK, I'll stay."

"You could at least let me answer the question, you know. Common courtesy?"

"That's for people who aren't best friends and soon-to-be sisters," she confidently explained.

Suddenly her eyes widened. "Bella! You don't mean that!"

"What? I didn't say anything!"

"Yes, but you'd decided to before you decided not to. You think we might not be friends once we're sisters?" She looked ready to burst into tears.

"I didn't think any such thing! What I thought was, courtesy is for people who want to STAY best friends after they become sisters. But I didn't say it because I believe we'll always be best friends, Alice. I wouldn't want it any other way. It's just that sometimes this whole reacting to things that haven't happened yet sort of gets on my nerves. And I'll admit, I'm a little edgy at the moment, so you can't take what I'm thinking right now at face value, OK?"

I grabbed her into a tight hug and just held onto her, feeling the very real tears pooling in my eyes. "I'm scared, Alice. I can't seem to shake the feeling that we're not all going to come home together."

She pulled away enough to hold my shoulders and get my full attention. "Bella, to tell you the truth, I'm scared, too. Not being able to see what's going to happen is driving me out of my mind. I see little things, like Aro deciding to make a phone call or Heidi choosing a pair of shoes… she has great shoes, by the way. But I can't see what plans they have for us. I hate that so many have figured out how to get around my ability. It makes me feel useless."

"You think you feel useless? Try being the only human in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires!"

"I guess we both feel the same way, albeit for different reasons…" she deduced.

I had to think about that. "You know, I suppose you're right. It's all what you're used to, I guess. You're still not as useless in Volterra as I am, but I do understand what you're saying."

She chuckled. "OK, I'll give you that. But, even though you're an easier target, we're all equally vulnerable."

"You know, I wish Edward would have just changed me before the newborn battle. It would have made things so much easier."

"In some ways, yes, but would you really want to do it out of fear?" she asked.

"YES!" I all but yelled. "I was afraid anyway, but at least I could have been helpful. I'm afraid now! You guys might be vulnerable, but at least you could never be a midnight snack!"

"We'd never let you be a snack, Bella," she admonished me.

"You can't guarantee that, though, can you."

She started to answer, but her expression changed abruptly as she realized I was right. "Well, the only thing we can do is stick together and hope for the best. I can tell you one thing for sure; if you do end up being a snack, it will be over all our dead bodies."

I shuddered at the thought. "Don't even say something like that," I whispered. The mere idea tore my insides to shreds.

"That's worst case scenario," she murmured quietly. And then her expression changed to cheerful again. I could barely keep up. "The good news is that worst case scenario almost never happens."

"Why don't I find that incredibly comforting?"

"Bella, I wish I had some sort of assurances for you, but I'm fresh out. We're all going into this relatively blind. All we know is that Aro 'invited' us," she said with little quotation marks in the air. "And when Aro invites you, there is only one answer. And before you say it, Aro wants you there as a human. If you'd already been changed before this whole newborn army thing, he would still want to test your abilities, so it wouldn't make that much difference."

Before I could say anything, she added, "And by the way, I wasn't reading your future thoughts just then. A fichus tree could have predicted what you were going to say."

The eye roll I directed at her was well-earned, although I supposed she was right. It was just so frustrating to always be the weakest link, and no matter how many pep talks Carlisle gave me, I knew it was the truth.

**-…-**

Charlie was pleased to find Alice at the house when he arrived. I wondered if he was just pleased to see someone other than Edward, although he did seem to be doing a better job of tolerating the daughter-stealing fiend that was my fiancé. I wondered how much more he would hate Edward if he knew the whole story…

We had a pleasant dinner with about twenty-thousand-percent more conversation than normal thanks to the always talkative Alice. Charlie seemed amused by her exuberance, and while he enjoyed her company, I thought he could probably get an Alice overdose quite easily. He was just too quiet by nature to spend too much time in the presence of that vivacious little sprite.

She regaled us with stories of her past trips to Europe, being very careful not to say anything to indicate how long in the past those had been. Not only had she been in London for the wedding of Charles and Diana, but for the weddings of Charles' parents and grandparents. I wasn't any sort of royal-watcher, but Alice definitely was. I thought maybe she just liked the hats.

After dinner, Alice feigned leaving, but I knew she'd be back in mere moments. After all, I couldn't possibly be left to my own devices for more than 47 seconds. Who knew what might happen?

Charlie settled into his favorite chair in the living room. "That Alice… she's a caution, that one," he chuckled.

Knowing she could hear us, I added, "I love her to pieces, but I have to say, I think she could talk for the rest of eternity and never run out of material." I snickered at my own inside joke.

"Can't say as I'll mind having her in the family once this whole… wedding thing is done."

"Dad, I know it's awkward for you, but could you please not refer to my impending nuptials with the love of my life as 'this wedding thing'?"

"Sorry, Bells. You know I'm doing the best I can here. It's all pretty sudden, and well… I just didn't think it would be so soon," he answered wistfully. I could almost see my childhood memories playing through his head.

Just as I almost thought I saw his eyes getting glossy, he changed the subject. "So, tomorrow's the big day."

"Yep. Long flight, and then the real fun begins." I didn't mean that to sound quite so sarcastic.

"You're not expecting this to be fun?"

"It's not that. I'm just nervous… you know, for the flight. I've never been a huge fan of steel tubes hurtling themselves through the air at Mach 3." It was a half-truth. I was nervous, but the flight was the least of my worries.

"Yeah, I understand. I don't like to fly, either," Charlie answered, buying my story. "I'm sure you'll be fine. There's thousands of flights every day and almost none of them crash."

"I suppose that should be reassuring," I half grimaced.

He laughed. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You'll have a great time and you'll come back with all kinds of stories and pictures and maybe you can bring me an Eiffel Tower keychain or something."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "Do you really want an Eiffel Tower keychain?"

"Well, maybe some chocolates would be better…"

"OK, dad, I'll see if I can find chocolates in the shape of the Eiffel Tower."

"OK, I'm sure I'll like whatever you bring me." Spoken like a true dad. And I knew he would. Even if I brought him a snow globe with another snow globe inside, he would proudly display it in the living room.

"Well, you need to get to bed, young lady," he said as he stood from his chair. "Now give your old man a hug and get yourself upstairs. You've got a big day ahead of you."

He had no idea how right he was. He pulled me into an unusually tight embrace and kissed the top of my head.

"I love you, Bells. Don't worry about the trip. Everything will be fine."

It was only then I realized he sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me.

**-…-**

I fell asleep without Edward there, and as much as I realized he needed to hunt, I missed his presence terribly. Who knew sleeping next to a block of ice could be so comforting?

I woke, however, in the arms of my angel.

"Good morning, my sweet," he cooed.

"Mmmmmm…" was all I could reply as I snuggled in closer.

He peppered small kisses along my forehead and down the side of my face. When he reached my cheek, I turned my head slightly and found his lips with mine.

"I thought you didn't like kissing with morning breath," he mumbled, his lips never leaving my flesh.

"At this moment, I couldn't care less," I murmured in return before adding, "but don't get used to it."

He smiled through the kiss, which he deepened immediately as he pushed his body halfway over mine. I was lost for a blissful few moments before reality hit.

"Charlie's awake. He wants to see you before we leave," Edward told me as he gave me a chance to catch my breath.

"I guess it would be better if he didn't find you here, huh…" I snickered.

"Yeah, I don't think he would take too kindly to finding me lying on top of you in your bed."

"You're only half lying on top of me," I joked.

"Yeah, I'm sure that would make him feel MUCH better. He probably wouldn't think a thing about it!"

I gave him a little smack on the arm before kissing him again. I knew he needed to leave, but I was loathe to let him go without some sort of attempt to keep him with me. "Can't you just hide in the closet, like the good old days?"

He laughed and stroked my cheek. "I won't go far." He paused, then added, "I'll never go far."

And I knew he was no longer just talking about this morning. The comfort those words provided me in that moment was immeasurable. "Thank you," I whispered. "I love you, too."

He smiled and gave me one more kiss before pulling me out of bed with him. "Go get ready and in about an hour, whole Cullen clan will be here to pick you up. It's going to look a little like a circus caravan, I fear, but at least it'll be entertaining."

"Never a dull moment," I added.

"Sometimes a dull moment would be nice, actually."

We walked hand-in-hand to the window and kissed one more time before he jumped to the ground and disappeared into the woods.

After I finished my morning routine, I emerged from the bathroom to the smell of smoke and Charlie's rather loud cursing. I hurried to the kitchen in time to witness his attempt at pancakes being sucked into the disposal.

"I sort of knew better than to try this," he said sheepishly. "I just thought it would be a nice surprise…"

"It was very sweet of you to try," I answered while patting his shoulder condescendingly.

"OK, OK, I know. It's pathetic that I can't make pancakes. OK, I get it." We both laughed.

I checked out the very thin batter. He'd used a mix, but not enough of it, so I repaired it and started over. Charlie sat down, looking both defeated and pleased to have been rescued from his own version of Kitchen Nightmares.

"So, Bells, you do have some of your own money, right? I mean, you never know..."

"Yes," I sighed, somewhat exasperated. We'd been over this a few times already. "The Cullens have made it clear that they are paying for everything, but I do have my own emergency money… not that I'll need it."

"I'm sure you won't, but it never hurts to be prepared."

I wished having a couple hundred dollars could prepare me for what actually awaited me on this 'vacation.'


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Forward progress is always good. Hope you enjoy. Please review! I do love getting feedback.

**-…-**

Chapter 29

Charlie and I ate our pancakes in relative quiet, which was pretty much always how we ate our meals. Just because I was going away for a while didn't change all our routines. I told him Esme had made a bunch of food for him, and while he complained that she shouldn't have gone to so much trouble, I could tell he was pleased and probably more than a little relieved. At least we could have the fire department stand down during mealtimes at the Swan residence.

Soon the Cullen caravan arrived in all its splendor. "I wonder if clowns are going to start pouring out of those cars," Charlie quipped.

Emmett stepped out of his jeep at precisely the right moment for me to say, "Yep, apparently so."

Edward came to the door. For some reason, Charlie hurried ahead of me to open it. "Edward," he said with a deeper-than-usual voice, shaking hands with his future son-in-law.

"Good morning, Charlie," Edward answered quite a bit more brightly than he had been greeted. "Are you ready to go, Bella?"

I nodded, then turned to my father. "Well, this is it. I love you, dad. I'll miss you." We hugged tightly.

"I love you, too, Bells. Don't worry about me, but I'll exercise my parental rights to worry about you, so don't even tell me not to."

"I know it wouldn't do any good. Just try not to worry too much, OK?" I chuckled through the tears pooling in my eyes. I didn't know if this would be the last time I would see my father, or if the next time I saw him, I'd want to drain every drop of his blood.

Our moment was interrupted as Esme and Carlisle came to the door with boxes full of food in little freezer containers. Each one had a label with cooking instructions. I figured even Charlie couldn't mess that up, although if it could be done, he'd be the man for the job.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, come in," Charlie welcomed them. He was much friendlier than he had been with Edward. "Mrs. Cullen, you didn't have to do all this. You already have a lot of mouths to feed without adding me to your trouble."

"First, please call me Esme, and second, it's no trouble at all. It's a pleasure to cook for someone who appreciates it."

"…and someone who needs the help so much," I jabbed at Charlie.

"I'd argue, but I'm afraid I'm really no good in the kitchen," he answered with a laugh. "Maybe you can smell the smoke from this morning's adventure in making breakfast for my daughter."

"Maybe a little," Esme tittered quietly. I knew that meant she could literally smell it a mile away.

"Let's get these things into the freezer," Carlisle interrupted. "Then we'd best be on our way."

Charlie looked at Edward rather sternly, appearing to size him up, although why he would need to do that at this point was beyond me.

"You take care of my daughter. I'm trusting you, even though it goes against my better judgment."

"Dad!"

Edward ignored my outburst and looked Charlie directly in the eye. "I'll do everything in my power to keep Bella safe. Even if you and I had nothing else in common, we both love Bella, and if something happens to her, it will be over my dead body."

"Why do people keep using that phrase?" I yelped. "Can't anyone think of anything less morbid than dead bodies?"

"Oh, Bells, you don't need to be so sensitive. It's just a saying," Charlie scolded as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It's not like anyone's actually going to die. What is it you always tell me? Take a pill?"

Of course he couldn't know that death was a very real possibility on this particular trip. I tried yet again to laugh it off and credit my jumpiness to nerves, but the truth of the matter chilled me to the bone.

As Carlisle and Esme said goodbye, they also assured Charlie I would be under their careful watch. Charlie and I hugged again and exchanged another 'I love you' before it was time to get into the car.

Carlisle led the way in his Mercedes; he and Esme had decided to take Fred with them, keeping him separated from Emmett as much as possible. We were in the Volvo with Jasper and Alice, and the Jeep with Emmett and Rosalie, and about 12 million suitcases, brought up the rear.

We were only going to Port Angeles where the Cullens had chartered a small jet. Apparently Rose was to be our pilot. Who knew? I preferred her to Emmett, although I'd imagine he would tend to be more serious when it came to matters like crashing a plane. However, I'd watched him play video games, so I could also see him practicing his barrel rolls and figure eights in the sky. I might not be killed, but there would almost certainly be a clean up on aisle seven.

"Emmett can be our flight attendant," I joked from the Volvo, knowing he would hear me in the Jeep behind us. This was confirmed when he blasted his horn a few times in protest.

"Em said to tell you he'd rock one of those blue uniforms with the tight skirt," Edward informed me. "And Bella, for the love of all that is holy, please don't challenge him on it."

"They don't make a skirt big enough for the Incredible Bulk. Maybe if they sewed three of them together, he might be able to get it over his gut," I snickered, making faces at Emmett through the side mirror.

Another horn blast let me know I had gotten to him. Edward chuckled. "I can't repeat that in mixed company, Emmett."

"Oh, come on. What did he say?" I queried eagerly.

"Bella…" he warned with equal parts disapproval and distain.

Alice intervened from the backseat, "You know if you don't tell her, Em will and we'll never hear the end of it."

A series of rapid honks let me know that she was right.

"Fine," Edward acquiesced. "He said he'd need more than three skirts just to cover his… well… you know…."

"Emmett Cullen!" I exclaimed through a giggle while waggling my finger at him through the mirror. I could see he was laughing uproariously. Even Rose was chuckling. Edward was trying to be all stoic and appear scandalized, but even he had the tiniest smirk playing on his lips.

In front of us, Fred's arm shot out the passenger side window to give a thumbs-up, which could only be for my benefit. I was pretty sure Carlisle and Esme were shaking their heads and sharing the parental 'all-knowing glance.' And really, what else could they do?

In what seemed like no time at all, we were staring at the sleek corporate jet that would take us the almost 6,000 miles to our destination. The overall mood of the family seemed light and jovial, but there was an indefinable underpinning of dread, each of us knowing this could be one more step toward our final destination.

I tried to wipe that thought from my mind as I took my seat next to Edward while the other Cullens made quick work of loading the cargo.

"Wow, Miss Prima Donna," Emmett teased when he boarded the plane. "What? You think we're just going to do all the work while you sit here drinking champagne and nibbling on _petits fours_?"

"That's exactly what I think," I smiled with satisfaction. "And where are these refreshments you speak of? Why are they not on my table yet, stewardess?" I clapped my hands twice, indicating that he should hurry.

Turning to Edward, I sighed heavily. "It's just so difficult to find good help these days…"

Emmett let out a boisterous guffaw before heading toward the cockpit with Rosalie.

"Wait. Is he going to be our copilot?" I asked no one in particular.

Rose turned a raised an eyebrow at me, which was something that always made me uncomfortable. "First, I don't need a copilot, and second, yes, he's going to sit up front with me. Is there a problem with that?"

I gulped, not entirely sure if she was joking or not. "No, sir. No problem, Captain, sir," I answered with a salute.

She smirked at me, then turned to Emmett and sighed dramatically. "It's just so difficult to find good passengers these days…" With a wink to me, she took her husband by the hand and led him to the cockpit.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

**-…-**

Carlisle and Jasper talked strategy for the first half of the flight. Alice and Esme were pouring through all sorts of Italian fashion and architecture magazines. Esme didn't really care much about fashion, and Alice seemed bored with architecture, so it was comical to watch them switch topics every so often. Even if you didn't know who'd had a penchant for which topic, you would be able to tell by their body language alone.

Fred had a portable video game because heaven forbid he have to live without digital entertainment for a few hours.

Edward and I just held each other. He'd tried to get me a soda or some water or a packet of those honey-roasted peanuts they have on every plane, but I just wanted to snuggle with him. We'd moved to the surprisingly comfortable sofa, despite our 'flight attendant' insisting that I keep my seatbelt securely fastened at all times.

He'd also mentioned that, in the unlikely event of a water landing, my vampire boyfriend could be used as a floatation device.

What Emmett failed to understand was that I didn't need anything but Edward's loving, protective arms around me. He was much better than a seatbelt. I felt more secure and comfortable in his arms than in any other place, and not just because he was indescribably strong, but because he was my home.

Nobody bothered us until after we stopped to refuel at a small airport just north of Boston. Edward and I stepped out onto the tarmac so I could stretch my legs, even though I could easily walk around inside the plane. I wasn't normally claustrophobic, and we were travelling in the very lap of luxury, yet I couldn't help but compare myself to one of those hapless sheep in the back of a truck, blissfully unaware that she was headed to the slaughterhouse. Except I was aware.

The fresh air felt wonderful. It was sunny out, so Edward was careful to stay in the shade of the jet as the fueling crew got to work. I, however, was free to step into the sunlight, so I took advantage of it. I closed my eyes and tilted my face upward, spreading my arms to more fully absorb as many rays as possible.

When I finally opened my eyes again, they eventually adjusted to the shadows where Edward sat on the stairs, grinning at me like I was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. I slowly walked to him, sad to leave the sun, but happy to be returning to my safe place. Edward's eyes were black as night; apparently my stretching and basking had been more interesting than I'd anticipated.

"Hungry?" I asked, the double entendre clear in my question.

"More than you could imagine."

I smiled. "On our honeymoon, I want you to remember to tell me what you're thinking right now, OK?"

"Definitely. We may even have to reenact the moment, just for clarity's sake, of course."

"Of course. We definitely want things to be clear," I cooed, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leaned his head into my hand and nuzzled my palm.

"OK, you lovebirds, break it up," Rosalie interrupted, poking her head out the open cabin door. "We're ready to go. All aboard!"

"She's taking this captain thing a little too seriously," Edward chuckled.

"I heard that!" Rose yelled from inside.

"I know!" Edward yelled back.

We boarded the plane again, Rosalie returning us to cruising altitude before Emmett let me remove my seatbelt. I'd decided to humor him, since he was taking his self-appointed role as air marshal so seriously.

As it turned out, he was a pretty good flight attendant, too. To my astonishment, he presented me with a lovely tray of dainty little sandwiches and snacks with a two-serving sized bottle of wine.

"When in Rome…" he chuckled as he opened the bottle. I looked at him askance. I didn't even drink wine. He poured a small amount into my glass and waited expectantly. For what, I did not know.

"You're supposed to sniff the wine and swirl it around in the glass and then take a tiny taste," he explained.

"Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It's what they do in the movies, so there has to be a reason for it."

I did as I was instructed. "Mmmm… this is pretty good!" I held out my glass for him to pour some more.

"Let's not get Bella drunk, shall we?" Edward chastised his brother as he removed the bottle from Emmett's hand. "One glass should be sufficient, methinks."

"And here I thought I left my dad back in Forks," I frowned. Emmett laughed, taking the bottle from Edward and setting it on my tray.

I nibbled on my lunch and took regular sips of the wine. I could feel my nerves easing and looked at Jasper curiously.

"It's not me. I think you're feeling the effects of the liquid courage there," he joked.

"I'm still plenty nervous," I confessed.

"I know. I can feel it, but believe me, you're not the only one."

"OK, game time. Who's the most nervous?" I quizzed. Other people played games to pass the time when they travelled. Ours were just a little different.

"Actually… I think it's a tie between Esme and Edward," Jasper answered.

Both appeared ready to protest, but then Edward shrugged in resignation and Esme held out her hand to him. "At least I'm in good company," she whispered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"If it makes you feel any better," Jasper added, "the only one not nervous is…"

"Emmett," almost all of us said in unison, causing us to break out laughing.

"He's actually looking forward to it, although he does have momentary worries for the rest of the family… especially Rose, but also Bella and Fred," Edward pointed out.

"Awwww… ain't that sweet," Fred teased. "I'm definitely feeling the love. I KNEW he had a thing for me."

"Shut up," Emmett said from the cockpit. "I just don't want to lose the Luigi to my Mario."

"Sounds like true love to me," Alice quipped.

Emmett burst through the cabin door. "Hey, Mario and Luigi are bros, man. Just like me and Fred. Don't be hatin' on the brotherly love, man. It's a beautiful thing."

"Since when did you become a flower child, Em? I suppose you were at Woodstock, too," I teased.

Everyone groaned and started protesting. Fred and I looked at each other, puzzled.

"Do NOT get him started on Woodstock," Esme warned.

"Oh hell yeah, I was there!" Emmett almost shouted. "Can I say 'hell' in front of you, Bella?"

"Hell, no," I deadpanned. He grinned.

"The remainder of the flight is only eight hours, six minutes," Carlisle reminded him. "Are you sure we have enough time for this story?"

Emmett rolled his eyes and continued, unhindered. "That was a once-in-a-lifetime show. Even MY lifetime!"

He began excitedly listing all the bands he saw, who was the 'most awesome' of the bunch, etc. It was interesting to me for about fifteen minutes, but then I understood the Cullen's reaction when he started giving details. According to him, there were thirty-two acts and he was just starting to tell us about the first one.

"Carlisle, can I just jump out of the plane and swim to Italy?" Jasper asked.

"Only if I can join you," he quipped in return.

We all laughed, except Emmett of course.

"You're just jealous," he retorted.

Jasper sighed dramatically. "Yes, I'm jealous of you surrounded by a half-million drugged-up, sweaty, smelly humans having free sex everywhere and using nature as their toilet."

"That was the best reason to be a vampire at Woodstock – I never had to wait in line for the bathroom. No need to eat or sleep, and I remember everything perfectly," Emmett proudly announced.

"Yes, we know. We remember the story perfectly, too, especially after hearing it so many times," Jasper grumbled.

"Sorry, guys," I sheepishly apologized. "I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't, dear. Nobody blames you," Esme patted my hand consolingly.

"I blame her," Jasper said under his breath. At first he sounded serious, but then his face broke into a grin the size of Texas.

"Woodstock," Fred murmured quietly. "The only Woodstock I remember was Charlie Brown's bird."

Emmett gaped at Fred. "Dude. You did NOT just compare the greatest concert of all time to a stupid cartoon character."

"Woodstock was not stupid. He was hilarious. And I'm sure your little show was great and everything, Em… I just don't remember hearing about it before," Fred explained.

If Emmett had blood, it would be boiling. "LITTLE SHOW? Did you just call it a little show?"

"I'm sure it was great for, you know… back in the day," Fred shrugged. "I've heard of a few of those bands you're talking about… I mean, everyone knows the Grateful Dead. And The Who… don't they sing the theme song for 'CSI'?" Fred started humming the tune.

Apparently, that was the last straw. Emmett got up and returned to the cockpit without another word.

"Wow. If I'd known that would shut him up, I would have mentioned Charlie Brown and CSI ages ago," Jasper whispered.

"I wasn't trying to shut him up," Fred mumbled guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Fred," Carlisle interjected. "Everyone goes through this when they get older and the younger generation doesn't know what they're talking about anymore."

"Reminds me of a line from The Simpsons," Alice added. "Grandpa says 'I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary.'"

Jasper high-fived his wife.

"Should I go talk to Emmett?" Fred asked. "I don't want him to be mad at me."

"Just let him sulk for a while," Jasper answered. "He'll get over it."

"Plus, we all agreed that you and Emmett aren't allowed in the cockpit together," Esme chastened him.

"There has to be a dirty joke in there somewhere," Jasper laughed. Alice made the sound of hitting a rimshot.

"You guys, Emmett my best friend. I didn't mean to insult his concert."

"Fred, Jasper is right. Emmett is quick to get mad, but he's also quick to forgive and forget," Carlisle added.

"You know, the funny thing is, I actually admire him for being able to go to something like that. I can't imagine having the kind of control it would take to spend that much time with thousands of humans," Fred lamented. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the bloodlust."

"But you're around me all the time," I reminded him.

"I know, but I've figured out a way to put you in the 'other' category."

"'Other?' What does _that_ mean?" I chuckled bemusedly.

"Well, as I see it, there's four groups: human, vampire, animal, and other," Fred explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Animals are fair game, humans are off limits, but the two things you never, ever eat are other vampires and anything from the 'other' category."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended," I laughed, "but hey, whatever works for you."

"At the risk of getting all mushy, you're essentially my sister now, and I like having you as a sister," he explained rather solemnly. "I was an only-child growing up and I remember always wishing I had someone else, like most of other kids did."

"I'm sure some of your friends with annoying siblings would have traded places."

"I didn't say they were my friends…" Fred replied with an edge of bitterness to his tone.

"Surely some of them…"

Fred cut me off. "No. None of them. I was always alone. Kids were mean to me."

"Oh, Fred, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

Fred interrupted me. "It's OK, Bella. You couldn't know… It's just, I was a scrawny, ugly kid with thick glasses and bad hair. And those were my better qualities," he laughed in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. "I never really got a chance to know if I would ever 'grow into my looks' as my mom used to say. I was the dictionary definition of a card-carrying nerd."

"That can't be true," I insisted. "Unless your transformation really transformed you, you couldn't have been ugly or scrawny. I mean, seriously, let's face it. You're gorgeous."

"Gorgeous?" Fred choked.

I felt Edward stiffen next to me. "Oh, calm down," I dismissed him rather abruptly. "I only have eyes for you, my dear, but my eyes still work. I'm sure I'm not the only girl who would think Fred was a hottie, unless that whole tall, blond, chiseled, ruggedly handsome thing didn't appeal to them."

Fred looked at me like I had monkeys flying out my nose.

"Oh, come on, Fred. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm sure someone of the female persuasion has mentioned this to you at some time or another."

"Actually, not really. I can guarantee nobody has ever used the words 'gorgeous' or 'hottie' in reference to me before."

"Maybe not out loud," I shot back.

He sighed. "It's nice of you to say those things, Bella, but you don't have to… I mean, I'm content with being average…" he trailed off.

"Average? You think you're average?" I scoffed in complete disbelief. "Compared to who? You look like a young, beach bum version of Brad Pitt. If that's average, I'd be afraid to see good-looking!"

"Bella, you don't have to flatter me. I appreciate it. Really, I do, but I have a mirror, and despite what you see in movies, vampires do have a reflection," he joked half-heartedly.

"Alice, Esme, back me up here!" I implored.

Fred held his hands up to stop them. "Sorry, ladies, but I already know you sort of have to agree with Bella at this point, right? Really, I'm OK with my looks. I mean, seriously, I'm just glad not to have acne anymore. It's amazing what venom will do for bad skin."

He laughed at his own joke about making a billion dollars on venom-laced face cream, but I could see he was covering for some deep-seated self-worth issues. It was the first time he'd ever seemed to lack confidence like this.

"Fred," Carlisle interjected, "I wonder if that's why you manifested your particular gift. Maybe you repel people because you're used to being alone, or maybe you want to reject them before you think they'll reject you."

"And you thought YOU were a nerd," Jasper said to Fred, poking fun at Carlisle.

"It's just a theory," Carlisle attempted to defend himself.

"Oh, that's a new one. Carlisle has a theory. How bizarre!" Alice joined in.

"OK, you kids. Give your old man a break," Esme chided, smiling mischievously at her husband.

He took her hand and kissed it. "Thanks, dear… I think…"

"You know, I've never thought about how I ended up with this so-called gift. I thought it was just there. I mean, sometimes it's cool, but I'm kinda liking having a family. I've never really had a family… My parents spilt up when I was eight. My mom always joked that they should have divorced nine years earlier. Even at that age, I knew what she meant. I lived with my dad, but he was always working or 'dating,' as he called it. I don't think I ever saw the same woman more than twice…" he trailed off.

I grimaced at the thought. Charlie didn't date at all, and I couldn't even fathom him bringing home a different woman every night. Renee dated before she met Phil, but she never stayed out overnight and she never brought anyone home with her.

Fred continued. "Riley tried to tell us we were a family, but I wanted nothing to do with any of those freaks. Bree was the only one. She was nice to me, and at first I though it was just for protection, although I wouldn't blame her if it was, but she would leave me books and then we started talking a lot more after Diego disappeared. She'd seen the dark cloaks and she'd been in the sun. We knew Riley was lying to us, but we didn't put it all together until we started sharing notes. She's really the only friend I ever had my whole life, before I met all of you..."

Nobody said anything for a while. What could we say?

"I didn't mean to be Captain Bring-down. Sorry, Edward, I know that's your job," Fred said with a grin.

"Did anyone else hear Fred volunteer to go skydiving without a parachute?" Edward quipped back, giving him a solid punch to the arm.

"Mommmmmm, Edward hit me!" Fred yelled to Esme through his huge grin.

"What would you like me to do about it?" Esme played along.

"Punish him, of course!" Fred cried out.

Esme put her finger to her lip, making it look like she was deep in thought. "I'll tell you what: When we land, I'm going to walk away. If you want to retaliate against Edward, you go right ahead. I'm _sure_ he won't mind at all, will you, Edward."

He smiled mischievously at Fred. "Not at all. I'm sure I'll be very understanding and won't even give one thought to how you would pay for such a grave mistake."

"See?" Esme was smug. "It's all settled."

"Awww, mom! You take all the fun out of everything," Fred whined.

Esme smiled and nodded. "Thank you for noticing. My work here is done."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Not my characters, which isn't a shock to anyone.

**-…-**

Emmett announced over the loud speaker that we were starting our descent toward LIQV, which was apparently the airport code for Volterra. I didn't know they had their own airport, but I guess it made sense that they would. The Volturi probably owned an entire fleet of planes, so of course they would need an airstrip.

"For the human onboard," Emmett continued, "as we start our descent, please make sure your seat back and tray table are in their full upright position. Your seat belt and/or vampire fiancé should be securely fastened around you, and all carry-on luggage must be stowed. Thank you for flying Air Rosie, featuring the Hottest Crew in the Sky."

"I don't remember that last part from any of my previous flights," I laughed.

"That's because you've never flown with the hottest crew in the sky before. Hello?" Emmett announced.

"Isn't there some sort of black box recording device in here? Perhaps it would be better not to talk about vampires over the loud speaker."

"Already handled, little lady," Emmett broadcasted rather loudly. "The first thing I did was disable that thing. Even if this plane went down, we'd be long gone before the FAA got here. They'd find the box and no record of it ever leaving Port Angeles."

"Pretty clever, there, Em. I have to say I'm both impressed and rather shocked that you could be useful for something," I teased.

He came through the pilot's door into the cabin for the sole purpose of sticking his tongue out at me and flipping me off before rejoining Rose.

I giggled, but Edward didn't look pleased, even though he knew we were joking. "I'm going to need to have a word with my brother about his hand gestures toward my future wife."

"Don't you dare," I good-naturedly scolded him. "I like playing around with Emmett, but more importantly, if you let him know it bothers you, he'll probably triple his efforts."

"Quadruple," Emmett's booming voice came through the speakers.

"So, Em… are you still mad at me?" Fred asked, trying to take advantage of Emmett's newly found good mood.

"I'm not mad. Just disgusted. But I've decided to teach you everything there is to know about Woodstock so you're not an ignoramus anymore."

Fred pantomimed tying a rope around his neck and hanging himself. We all snickered.

"What's so funny out there?" Emmett said a second before bursting into the cabin again.

We all did our best to act innocent. "I can't imagine what you're talking about," Alice tried to say with a straight face, but failed miserably. All it did was make us laugh harder.

"Fine. Don't tell me. See if I care. Just don't ask for any more favors from me. That's right. You need something done, go find someone else. Like Bella - the next time you need someone to carry your truck around, you can count me out."

"When have you ever carried my truck?" I asked in wonder.

"I could have carried your truck," he jeered, "but not anymore. Those days are over, missy.

"And you," he pointed at Fred, "next time you need a Thunder Stick, guess who's not going to help you find it?"

Jasper was the first to catch it. "You help Fred find your thunder stick? Is that what you just said?"

We all burst out laughing. The fact that Jasper started it made it that much more difficult to stop, and frankly, I really didn't want to. The more I thought about it, the funnier it became.

"You people are all sick and twisted," Emmett huffed, even though he was trying desperately not to laugh himself. "You can't say anything around this family without it being taken wrong."

"Says the reigning King of Sexual Innuendo," I blurted out while wiping the tears from my eyes.

Emmett sputtered, but seemed to be at a genuine and unprecedented loss for words. He was saved by his wife. "Will the flight crew get his thunder stick up here right now?" Rosalie commanded over the speaker system.

"You people haven't heard the last of this. Woodstock shall be avenged!" he hollered before disappearing through the cockpit door.

After a few minutes, Rose turned off the cabin lights for our final approach. It was very dark outside, so the lights from the few small towns were highly visible through the little porthole windows. The mood was suddenly much more somber.

I grasped Edward's hand as tightly as I could. He looked at me with concern before I briefly closed my eyes and nodded my head slightly, indicating that I was hanging in there. He reached over and brushed my cheek with his thumb.

"It's going to be alright," he whispered.

"How do you know?" I asked meekly.

"I just have a feeling."

"OK, now I know you're just lying. Whenever you get a 'feeling,' it's always gloom and doom," I giggled.

"Oh, thanks," he snarked back before kissing my hand. "A couple of years ago, I would have agreed with you, but I seem to have a better outlook on things nowadays."

"Well, don't blame me for shooing away that dark cloud that used to hang over your head," I snickered.

"We are all thankful for that," Carlisle interjected.

Edward rolled his eyes, but then his arms were around me. Before I could ask what he was doing, I felt the tires bumping along on the runway. It wasn't the smoothest landing, but I got the feeling it wasn't the smoothest airstrip, either. I doubted it was Rosalie's fault, at least.

We taxied up to the small terminal and deplaned when Rose told us it was OK. Emmett stood near the door. "Bye now," he said perkily. "Buh-bye. Bye now. Bye. Have a pleasant trip. Thank you for flying with us. Buh-bye."

"Give it a rest, honey," Rosalie said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. With his fun over, Emmett went to retrieve some luggage. With humans watching, everyone had to act the part. Unloading couldn't be _too_ easy.

"Greetings, Cullens," a familiar voice said from the darkness.

"Felix," Edward answered cooly.

"What? No group hug? I'm disappointed, after all we've meant to one another."

Edward growled a little.

"Touchy, aren't we," Felix chuckled.

"If you value your existence at all, you won't even look at Bella," Edward warned.

"I simply thought she smelled nice. Maybe a new perfume or something…"

"Yeah, right. I'm sure that was it," Edward growled.

"Now, now, Edward. We don't want to get started on the wrong foot here, do we?" Felix arrogantly asked. "I'm sure you already know Aro's strict orders regarding your Bella. No one is to lay a finger on her."

"You'll forgive me if I don't trust you with her, Aro's orders or not," he said more diplomatically.

"Of course," Felix casually replied before taking in a long draw of breath. "However, he didn't say we couldn't take a whiff."

"Edward," Carlisle intervened. "Let it go. No harm done."

"He keeps that up and harm will be done."

"You're so testy," Felix laughed. "No fun at all."

Then he made the mistake of addressing me directly. "Bella, how ever do you put up with…" was all he could get out before he was doubled over on the tarmac.

"Fred, let him go," Carlisle quietly directed.

Immediately, Felix was back on his feet, brushing the dust off his cloak. "So, you're the infamous Fred. Impressive. Unpleasant, but nevertheless impressive."

"The feeling is mutual," Fred hissed, "except I'm not impressed."

"Carlisle, I do hope you can control him better than that. Aro wants to meet him, but I can't allow it if he's going to be so volatile and unrestrained."

"Fred is not my pet. I don't 'control' him," Carlisle made quote marks in the air. "Perhaps it would be wise for you to inform Aro and company that Fred is very protective of this family, especially Bella. You don't threaten us, you stay upright. It's a fairly simple concept."

"Even simple enough for YOU to understand," Alice quipped quietly.

"Yes, I'll be sure Aro gets that message," Felix narrowed his eyes. "But it does make Fred sound remarkably like a guard dog."

Fred made a move toward the hulking Felix, but Emmett and Jasper quickly blocked him. "This isn't the time or place for this, Fred. And believe me, Felix isn't worth it," Jasper sneered over Fred's shoulder.

"Oh, Jasper. How pleasant to see you again as well."

"Charmed, I'm sure…" Jasper replied dryly.

"Well, now that we're all nicely reacquainted, let's get your human inside. I'm told the night air isn't good for her constitution."

I was shivering ever so slightly, but it could have been equal parts cold, nerves, and irritation with stupid Felix sniffing me.

We were led to a very long stretch limousine. The driver was another vampire; one I'd never seen before. He looked at me eerily, which caused me to shiver a little more. Edward pulled me close and snarled at the driver.

"Don't we have to go through Customs?" I asked once we had settled into the incredibly plush, massive car that held all 10 of us with plenty of room to spare.

Felix laughed. "We ARE Customs in Volterra. Let's just say that when we have guests, nobody questions our authority in the matter."

Of course that would be the case. The Volturi were the 'patron saints' of the city, providing both funding for its infrastructure and protection for its inhabitants. I continued to find it ironic that the safest place in the world from the hidden threat of vampires was quite literally right under their noses. Tourists didn't have the same protection, granted, but the citizenry was immune, and ignorant, to the dangers lurking everywhere around them.

And yet, even as a 'protected guest', I still didn't feel any safer.

The drive to the palace or castle or whatever they called it was only about 15 minutes, but it seemed longer than the entire flight from Washington. Nobody spoke, although Edward let out an occasional low growl either directed at Felix or the chauffeur. I really didn't want to know what either of them was thinking, although based on Edward's reactions, I doubted they were planning a flower garden or composing letters to their respective mothers.

I took this moment to reflect on my situation. I was in a limousine in Italy with 10 vampires; seven confirmed vegetarians, one newborn who was struggling with his diet, and two bloodsuckers. I didn't really like that term, but in this case, it seemed appropriate. Jake would be so proud.

We entered Volterra the same way Alice and I had not too terribly long ago, although this time it was fairly late and I was fairly exhausted. No running through fountains to save my beloved Edward on this trip. I shuddered a little at the memory. Edward gave me a squeeze and looked at me apprehensively. I was so thankful he couldn't read my thoughts. It would torture him to see it all play out in my head again.

I tried to look reassuringly at him, but I'm not sure how successful I was because he still looked worried. I turned my head only to find Jasper staring a hole through me. He tilted his head in question, and I lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. He smiled warmly and I felt a sense of calm wash over me.

Carlisle was the first to break the very long, very awkward silence. "So, what's on the agenda?"

"Aro wishes to see all of you as soon as you are settled," Felix answered.

"Absolutely not," Edward replied coldly.

Felix looked rather shocked. "And why not, pray tell?"

"Because we've had a long day and Bella needs her rest. Aro can wait until morning," he snarled.

Apparently Felix found this amusing. "You want Aro to wait so your human can sleep? Preposterous! My master waits for no one… human or vampire."

"It's OK, Edward. I can stay up," I said as my body betrayed me with a yawn.

"No, you need to sleep, love," Edward replied tenderly. "I don't care what Aro wants. He'll wait." He was speaking to Felix as much as he was to me.

Felix scowled as he snapped open his phone. Apparently he had Aro on speed dial. He spoke so fast that I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I was the only one with that particular disadvantage.

"Aro has agreed to a compromise. He will meet with your coven tonight. The girl can sleep in her chambers."

Edward just about jumped out of his seat. Jasper caught him in time to stop the ensuing brawl.

"You do remember I can read your mind, don't you? Are you really that stupid? Or maybe you just have a death wish," Edward spat. "Obviously I'm not leaving Bella under the watchful red eyes of you or your guard."

I grasped Edward's arm a little tighter and I'm sure there was a look of horror in my eyes. "You know how much I hate the whole babysitting thing? Yeah, that's all out the window for now. I want you in arm's reach at all times. OK?"

"Of course, sweetheart. And there will always be a Cullen or two nearby, just in case," Edward assured me, turning to glare at Felix.

"Or all eight of us," Fred added. He clearly had no love lost for Felix, either.

"He's a prickly little fellow, isn't he, Carlisle. Perhaps a bit of a loose cannon?" Felix bantered casually. "You know what I'm hoping for? A showdown between Fred and Jane. Now that would be something to see…"

"We're not here for showdowns," Carlisle said firmly.

"Correction, sir. We are here for whatever Aro wishes. You'd do best to remember that," Felix warned.

"Dude, you did not just threaten Carlisle," Emmett challenged. While all the vampires were strong and fast, Emmett was the only one who matched Felix for sheer size. I briefly wondered who would win THAT showdown.

"Of course not!" Felix laughed. "Just a little witty repartee with an old friend."

"Two problems with that," Emmett stated matter-of-factly. "I don't recall a time when you and Carlisle were friends, and you're not witty in the slightest."

There was some unspoken posturing between the two hulking figures before Rosalie interrupted. "Good grief. Neither of you has any testosterone anymore, so knock it off."

We all had to snicker; Emmett looked a little hurt for some reason, and Felix threw his head back with laughter. "Oh, Rosalie. So beautiful, and yet such a mouth on you! I certainly would like to tame that tongue."

"STOP" Alice yelled, much to everyone's surprise, except perhaps Edward's. "We all need to remember where we are and why we're here." She gave pointed looks to Emmett and Rose. "Fighting is not going to solve anything."

The limo rolled to a stop and a sudden pang of fear tore through me. Was the driver going to help Felix fight? What if he had a special ability? Most of Aro's guard did. I hoped that his gift was simply being a good driver.

He opened the door and announced our arrival at the castle. I let out a breath I didn't remember holding as Felix exited the car first, followed by Carlisle. We all filed out into the underground garage, with me in the middle of the pack.

"Follow me," the driver said. He never told us his name, which I thought was rude.

Memories of my previous time within these walls crashed over me as the sites and smells of the dank stone assaulted my senses. I shivered from both the cold and the thoughts running through my head. Edward instinctively wrapped his arms around me as we walked, which made me feel more secure, but didn't exactly make me warmer.

"Did anyone bring an extra coat or anything?" I asked meekly.

In less than a second, I was offered six of them. I realized that all their coats were extras, since they didn't need them for warmth. I debated taking Emmett's because it was so big, I could almost wrap up in it twice, but instead I chose Esme's long wool cape because it had a hood.

The irony of me essentially wearing a cloak in Volterra was not lost on me.

It was a rather long walk to our guest rooms, and I'd noticed something odd as we went – we hadn't seen another living soul, or a dead one for that matter, the entire way. While I imagined this was done to give us a sense of security, I knew it was false. At any given moment, 20 vampires could converge on us and we would be at their mercy. And most vampires weren't exactly merciful.

"So, Bella, any of this bringing back fond memories for you?" Felix asked from behind me. I let out a startled little yelp, since I'd thought he'd left shortly after we'd gotten out of the car.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No."

"But you do remember your last visit," he stated rather than asked. There was a bit of a sinister tone to his voice and I didn't like it at all.

"Remember? Yes. Fondly? No."

He chuckled. "There has to be at least one good memory about your trip."

I stopped walking and turned to face him. "Yes, I found Edward and we got to leave together… before the tour group got to the royal chamber, thankfully…"

"Yes, that might have been unpleasant. But you see? All's well that ends well," Felix replied with faux enthusiasm. It was like he'd been taking insincerity lessons from Aro.

"Except it hasn't ended yet," I replied, gesturing to the walls of the castle.

"Touché, Miss Swan. Touché indeed."

We arrived at our suite of rooms, five in all. Drivey, as I'd decided to call him, opened the door to the one in the middle, which had a roaring fire burning in the massive stone fireplace.

"For the human," he said with a bow, and I wondered for a brief moment if we should tip him. Edward and I walked into the very spacious room that was beautifully appointed and more importantly, warm and dry. There was a large bathroom, too, which I needed to avail myself to right away.

Upon my return, I was surprised to see a human woman placing a large, domed platter on the buffet near the door, along with silverware and several beverages. She was, of course, ridiculously beautiful, but she was also clearly nervous.

"Ma'am," she barely eked out, "I didn't know what you would prefer, so I brought a few things. I hope something is to your liking…"

"It's Bella, and I'm not picky, so I'm sure it will be fine, ummm…."

"Felka." She smiled shyly. "It's Polish for 'lucky.'" She continued to glance between me and the floor, her level of timidity almost painful to watch.

"Felka. Pleased to meet you," I said, stepping forward to shake her hand. "This is Edward, my fiancé." Edward shook her hand as well.

"But you're… and you're…" she stumbled over her words.

"Yes, I'm human and he's a vampire. We get that reaction a lot." That may have been an overstatement, since almost nobody in our world knew Edward was a vampire, but it was too late to correct myself now.

"I'm sorry… please forgive me for staring…" Felka mumbled. "I just didn't know… that was possible."

"It was actually pretty easy. I asked her to marry me, she said 'yes,' and voila! Fiancés!" Edward teased the poor girl. I elbowed him in the side, but at least she giggled.

Felix cleared his throat rather loudly, causing her to jump. She immediately went right back to the business of making sure I was well-fed. "I made a menu for you. You don't have to order from it, of course, but I thought it would make it easier for you, perhaps…"

She handed me the laminated sheets. "Wow, these pictures are beautiful! Did you take these?"

She nodded.

"This is really something. You didn't need to go to so much trouble for me!" I exclaimed as I looked over her artwork.

"I just thought it might be helpful," she replied bashfully.

"Thank you so much, Felka. This really is wonderful. It's as close as I'm going to feel to welcome here."

"I'm pleased that you like it. When Aro asked me to oversee your meals, I felt truly honored."

"Honored to oversee the meals, or honored that Aro asked you?" I inquired, knowing that she was here in Volterra for one purpose, just like all the other humans in the castle, and that was to be changed. If she was as 'lucky' as her name indicated, she might not find herself on the Volturi's menu.

"Both?" she cautiously replied.

I had to laugh a little at her answer. "I understand. I appreciate the honesty, at least."

She smiled and shrugged.

"Are we done here?" Felix asked, seeming a little extra irritated.

"Yes, sir," she answered and gave me a little goodbye wave on her way out. Felix shut the door and we were finally alone.

I turned to Edward and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his chest. His arms snaked around my waist. "Bella, are you OK?"

"Yeah, just a little frazzled. It's not everyday you hang out with a bunch of blood-thirsty vampires."

He laughed heartily. "Yes, for you it IS everyday. Even though we don't drink human blood, we're all blood-thirsty vampires."

I hadn't really thought of it like that before, however I told Edward, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm just glad you see the difference. Not everyone would."

"The difference is night and day! Anyone who doesn't see it has to be trying not to."

"Like Jake?" he asked pointedly.

"Yes, like Jake," I sighed. "And the other Quileutes… except Seth, I suppose. Funny how one of their youngest can figure this out, but the older ones are just sure you're all going to suddenly pillage the townfolk, like this is part of your 50 year plan to eat the residents of Forks and LaPush."

"It does get pretty absurd at some point, but their hatred runs deep. I guess it's the same as any other sort of racism… I know most vampires fit their image, but not all of us do…"

"You know, I bet fighting side-by-side against the newborns did more for your relationship with them than any treaty ever could," I thought aloud.

"Yeah, most of them don't know what to do with that information. It's not as easy to blindly hate someone when their mother bakes cookies for you."

We both laughed. "Esme… she's such a mom, it's ridiculous."

"She loves taking care of her human daughter, believe me," he tapped his temple.

"Well, it's especially nice for me because my own mom is so far away… although it wouldn't matter if she lived next door, really, since she's not exactly maternal. It's sort of weird that my vampire mom is better in the role than my biological one."

Edward hugged me a little tighter. We stood there holding one another for a little while before my stomach growled.

"I know it's late, sweetheart, but you should try to eat something." He released me and walked over to the buffet, lifting the dome from the platter to reveal a wide assortment of small plates. Surreptitiously, he sniffed the food.

"Find something you like?" I asked with a grin. "Or do you think it might be poisoned. I would imagine if the Volturi wanted to take me out, they wouldn't waste a perfectly good meal by poisoning it to death."

He chuckled. "Caught me. I can't help it, Bella. I have this overwhelming need to protect you. Believe it or not, I do know the Volturi wouldn't poison you. I just wondered if that girl, Felka, would."

"Why would she do that?"

He sighed. "I don't know… it's probably my stupid paranoia raising its ugly head again, but she's jealous of Aro's interest in you. I didn't read any thoughts of ill will towards you, but she is most definitely jealous."

I looked at the tray, feeling a little less confident than I was 20 seconds ago. "OK, now you're making ME paranoid. Can you… ummm… sniff the food again?"

He did as I asked. "I don't smell anything off, except for the food itself, which really is rather repulsive. But it doesn't smell different from any of the other repulsive things humans eat."

"Oh, thanks! That's great coming from a guy who drinks warm blood!" I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

He picked a green bean off my plate. "I'm sorry… I'll eat this if you'll forgive me." He blinked his eyelashes in an attempt to look innocent.

"OK, do it!" I challenged.

"OK… here goes…" he said as he put the bean in his mouth and started to chew. The faces he made were just horrible.

"Stop!" I yelped. "I was just kidding!"

He grinned like the Cheshire cat, holding up the fully-intact bean. "So was I…"

"OK, that's it! Now you're eating that bean and I'm going to watch you chew it this time!" I laughed.

He immediately began to grovel. "No, Bella! I'm sorry. Really, I am. Just please don't make me eat your food! Anything but that!"

"Anything?" I asked rather suggestively.

"Bella… anything but THAT, too."

"I was just thinking about a kiss. What were you thinking about, naughty boy?" I teased.

"I was thinking what a bratty little vixen you are. Now get over here and kiss me."

I picked up another bean, threw it at him, and ran. He chased me all over the room, fortunately at a human pace, but it still made me squeal when he almost caught me. I ended up on one side of the huge bed and he was on the other. "What's the matter, Edward? Am I too fast for you?" I taunted.

In less than a blink of my eye, he had me pinned to the bed. I barely had time to squeak out my surprise before he was kissing me passionately.

When he let me up for air, I had one word for him: "Cheater…"

**-…-**

A/N: If I ask nicely, can I get some more reviews? Early Christmas present? Yes, I'm shamelessly begging here, but I do love those reviews.

Thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it.


	31. Chapter 31

**-…-**

Edward and I made love that night for the first time. It was slow and passionate and glorious. We kissed and touched and worshipped each other all through the night and well into the morning. Much to my surprise, the first time didn't hurt at all. There wasn't even any blood. Just blissful intimacy as our bodies found each other in all the ways they're supposed to.

As we neared our first mutual climax, I could feel myself sweating, writhing wildly with desire and need. Another surprise was Edward's normally cool skin felt warm against mine, and I knew I could never get enough of him. To his surprise, Edward remained in perfect control, not causing me any harm or pain in the slightest. Only intense pleasure.

As we got closer to finally, after all this time, achieving that beautiful pinnacle of physical love, my shoulder started to twitch. It was only mildly annoying at first, but then it started shaking. Edward was covering my mouth and saying my name.

"Bella… Bella, honey, wake up," he whispered urgently.

Suddenly we weren't in our meadow anymore and the streams of sunlight weren't refracting off Edward's naked backside. We were in a bed, clothed, and although it was still dark, the light from the fire burning in the hearth was enough for me to see we were in an unfamiliar bedroom.

Volterra. We were in Italy. I'm not sure I'd ever been quite so disappointed in my entire life, and Edward seemed to be in a bit of shock himself.

"What… happened." I didn't need to ask IF something had happened. It obviously had.

"I'm going to guess you were dreaming. And I'm pretty sure we both know what it was about…"

I rolled away from him and curled up into a ball, covering my head with the sheet. My face was so hot, I thought I might start the bedding on fire, but I couldn't get that lucky.

"OK, give it to me straight," I directed from my seemingly safe little cocoon.

He scooted in behind me and gingerly stroked the side of my waist. It had felt much better in my dream when it was skin-on-skin. "Well…" he began, but didn't continue.

I waited for a while. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, no… not bad, per se. I guess it depends on how you look at it." I could feel him shrug.

"And how do YOU look at it?"

He chuckled lightly. "Let's just say I'm extremely jealous of that guy in your dreams."

"But he's you!" I protested.

"Trust me. I've never done the things that guy was doing…"

I groaned into my pillow, causing him to laugh some more.

"I wouldn't tell you this, except I don't want you to be caught unaware…" he trailed off.

I popped my head out from my protective covering. "What."

"Well, there at the end, you did sort of… moan and…"

I really didn't want to know what the 'and' was, but I had to. "And?"

"And… you may have said something along the lines of 'Edward, yes… more…'"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I MAY have said something along the lines of…?"

"Well, take out the word 'said' and put in 'cried out' and take out the words 'may have' and put in 'repeatedly.'"

It took me a second to reconstruct his previous sentence. "Oh. My. God. I'm never going to live this down. How can I face your family? Emmett! Carlisle! They're all going to think… Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I DID!" he exclaimed. "That's why you're awake right now, remember?"

"Well, then why didn't you try to stop me from talking?" I hissed.

"Bella, I did! I even put my hand over your mouth. I tried everything short of holding a pillow over your face!"

"And you gave up on this pillow idea because…?"

He pulled me into his chest. "It's not that bad. Yes, Emmett is already plotting ways to use this against you…" he told me, but added for Emmett's benefit, "…although he won't actually do it if he knows what's good for him."

I mumbled something even I couldn't decipher.

"The good news is, Carlisle and Fred aren't here, so they didn't hear any of it." He was trying to find the bright side, but I wasn't seeing it.

"So only five of your family members heard…" I groused.

"Well, six if you count me…"

"Not helpful, Edward!" I threw the covers over my head again and decided to die in that bed. Of natural causes, of course.

I felt that awful combination of embarrassment and anger mixed with no small amount of betrayal, but not from Edward… from my own mind and body. I struggled with those feelings of intimacy plenty when I was awake and had some control over my actions, but I was completely at the mercy of my brain and hormones while asleep. It wasn't fair.

"I'm kind of worried…" Edward said hesitantly, after several minutes of silence.

Out I popped again. "About what?"

"It's just… I'm not sure I can live up to the me in your dreams. What if I'm a complete failure? Clearly the Edward in your head knows what he's doing, but what if I can't… you know… give you the same experience that he can?"

"Are you thinking I might yell 'less' instead of 'more?'"

He chuckled at my choice of words. "Well, yes, something like that, I suppose…"

I took his face between my hands. His eyes avoided mine until I spoke his name. Then I had his full and undivided attention.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that you will far surpass anything my mind can conjure up," I cooed reassuringly. "Even the best dream is still a dream. But you… you're my dream come true."

The door flew open and Emmett barged in, pretending to choke and hurl.

"What's wrong with you?" Edward shouted. "We're in bed here, if you don't mind!"

"Like I'm interrupting anything," Emmett answered dismissively. "The only thing going on in here is all in Bella's head."

"You're a jackass," Edward fumed. "Get out."

"But there's nothing going on out there, either. I'm bored," Emmett complained. "I know! Bella, go back to sleep and do some more of that talking thing you were doing. Although that sounded like a helluva lot more than talking."

"Emmett Cullen!" I yelped. "Get out of here or so-help-me-God I'll call Esme."

"Oh, you're gonna call my mommy?" he taunted. "And what's she going to do? Spank me? Send me to bed without supper?"

Esme appeared in the doorway behind Emmett, her arms crossed over her chest, as he continued to ramble.

"Oooooohh… I'm so scared, I'm gonna wet myself. Like she could do anything to me. I could kick her skinny butt from here to next… dude, she's behind me, isn't she…"

Edward and I nodded in unison.

Before I could register what happened, Esme had a good grasp on a large chunk of Emmett's hair and had pulled his head down to her level.

"You could kick my skinny butt from here to where, son?" she hissed into his ear. Watching this, I could quite easily picture Emmett as a naughty little four-year-old.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I was just kidding," Emmett rushed to say. It wasn't quite bee-buzz, but it was fast enough that I almost didn't understand him.

"You're going to apologize to Edward and Bella, and then you're going to give me your video games for the duration of our stay here."

"Esme! Noooooooo," Emmett whined. "Not the games! No fair! Plus, you'll be punishing Fred, too. He needs me!"

"I'll just have to explain to Fred that you needed to learn a lesson in respect," she chastised him, raising her eyebrow. "Or, if you prefer, you can explain yourself to your father and see if he'll reduce your sentence!"

Emmett sighed knowing he'd been bested. He swallowed hard before he spoke. I half expected him to choke on some of that pride. "Edward, Bella, I'm sorry."

"For?" Esme prompted, tightening her grip a little. There was a slight smirk on her face, telling me she was probably enjoying this more than she should, although I couldn't exactly blame her. Emmett was fun, but he was also a handful.

He rolled his eyes and almost glared at her before remembering he was in trouble. "For barging in and teasing you about… you know… your 'talking.'"

"Apology accepted," Edward said graciously.

"Alright, let's go collect up your games," Esme ordered, and pulling him by his hair, she told him to "March!"

After they left, Edward chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"Esme just told me she's not really going to keep his games," he whispered directly into my ear. "She said his complaining would end up being a punishment for all of us."

I giggled. "A truer thing has never been spoken. Or in this case, thought."

"So, where were we?" Edward asked, using his most sensual tone. My brain began to fog over when I suddenly remembered something.

"Where are Carlisle and Fred?"

Edward looked a little put out. "That's not where we were before we were so rudely interrupted."

"I know… but that's what I was just about to ask you before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Well, you missed a few things while you were sleeping," he said softly, brushing the hair back from the side of my face.

"Like…?"

"Like… Aro decided he would compromise further and only meet with Carlisle last night. In a nutshell, Aro wanted some assurances about meeting Fred after Felix reported what happened at the airport. Aro is just about going out of his mind with curiosity about Fred, but he's not going to take any chances, either."

I chuckled. "'Just about going out of his mind,' huh? I think we're too late for that one."

"Good point, well made," he nodded with a smile. "Anyway, Carlisle told him that Fred already felt threatened just by being here and Aro actually had the nerve to laugh, like it was the most preposterous thing he'd ever heard."

"I've had my doubts about Aro's true intentions, of course," I said, "but I've never thought Fred would be in danger here, per se. I mean, we've just been assuming Aro will want Fred to join the guard, but maybe he won't. Even if he does, I think Aro wants Fred to _want_ to stay. It's not good for his reputation to try to force someone against their will."

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough. Carlisle took Fred hunting so they could have some sort of 'father-son talk,'" Edward replied.

"Did Aro have anything else to say?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "For one thing, he said he was so thankful that we chose to accept his invitation."

"Yes, we could just barely contain our glee…" I snarked.

"And then he added how pleased he was that the entire 'coven' was able to make the trip."

"Coven?" I exclaimed.

"Carlisle corrected him, of course, but Aro apparently just smiled. He knows the term bothers Carlisle, so he tries to use it whenever possible."

"Jerk," I mumbled.

He smirked. "That, my love, is the understatement of the millennia… Anyway, Aro wanted to shake hands, but Carlisle essentially told him 'not yet' in his diplomatic, 'Carlisle' way."

"Is there any other vampire on the planet who could get away with that?" I laughed.

"I doubt it. Carlisle could probably bring peace to the Middle East. He'd have all those people hugging by the end of the week."

"So, what is he telling Fred?"

He sighed. "It's basically the same thing we've been telling Fred all along. Self-control is the only thing that's going to save him here. If he were to drop Aro and pin him to the ground like he's done to us before, I'm not sure what the consequences might be."

"But nobody could do anything. Everyone else would be pinned down, too, right?"

"Well, yes, but he'd have to let them go eventually," Edward continued, "and as soon as he did, the consequences would probably be quite severe."

"Couldn't he run?"

"I suppose, but to what end? The Volturi would pursue him, if only for the simple reason that he ran from them. The guard has a reputation to uphold. They wouldn't allow him to escape unpunished," he explained. "But even more than that, Fred wouldn't leave his family behind. As much as I've had difficulty with him, Fred has become fiercely loyal to us. There's no way he would save himself and put his family in a likely hostage situation."

"Hostage?" I exclaimed. That thought had never crossed my mind.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just speculating and really, I shouldn't be. The truth is, there are a billion ways this could play out. Even Alice doesn't know what's going to happen."

I nodded. If Alice didn't know, the rest of us had nothing to go on but speculation anyway. And we would drive ourselves mad in the process.

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, first, your breakfast should be arriving in a couple of hours. And we'll see what Carlisle has to say when he gets back. But I'm going to guess at some point we'll be meeting with Aro and company. Hopefully by then we'll have some information about what to expect." He took my hand lovingly in his. "I know it's probably impossible for you not to worry, but please try. We're going to get through this… together."

**-…-**

The next thing I knew, I was waking up again, but this time without the benefit of a racy dream. It was light out, but my eyes still hadn't focused enough for me to see the hands of the clock across the room.

"It's 8:47," Edward whispered.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind…"

He snickered. "You were squinting at the clock. I hardly need to be a mind-reader to figure that out."

"Are Carlisle and Fred back yet?"

"No, but Alice said they will be here at 10:33, so we have a little time."

He leaned in to kiss me, but I covered my mouth. "Stop it," I said in a robotic monotone, tossing off the covers so I could go use the bathroom. Edward threw himself back onto the bed with dramatic flourish, acting as though he'd been mortally wounded. I heard a slight crack.

"You'd think the beds in Volterra would be more durable," I murmured. "Or maybe some vampires need to be a little less theatrical."

He sat up and took his bows, causing me to giggle as I shut the door. I quickly completed my morning routine, adding a shower when I realized I wasn't quite feeling 'fresh.' When I emerged from the bathroom, Edward was waiting by the door. He swept me into his arms and kissed me passionately.

Once he let me up for breath, I panted," What brought that on? Not that I'm complaining, mind you…"

"I missed you."

"I was only in there for, what, 15 minutes?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, it was 19 minutes, 12 seconds, which is about 19 minutes, 11 seconds too long."

"So, I'm allowed one second in the bathroom…" I replied drolly.

"Unless you can make it faster…" he kidded.

"Well, if you keep kissing me like that, I might actually try!"

He smiled and wrapped me up into another embrace, our lips finding each other's almost by instinct. I moaned into his mouth, which seemed to signal that the time for kissing was over.

Then I heard a knock at the door and realized THAT was the actual signal for kissing time to be over.

"Come in, Felka," Edward called as I ran my fingers through my hair to get the newly acquired tangles out.

She opened the door slightly, glancing in to make sure it was really OK to enter. I motioned for her to come in, which she finally did, wheeling a server's cart with her.

"Your breakfast, ma'am," she squeaked.

"It's Bella… please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old," I joked.

She smiled. "Bella…" It seemed like she was testing out the sound of my name. "In Italian, that means 'beautiful.'"

"Yes, I know. Edward has told me so many times."

He pulled me in close and kissed my temple. "Only because it's true…"

Felka and I both blushed, albeit for different reasons, and she set to work getting my food on the table.

"I can do that. You don't need to wait on me."

"Ma'… I mean, Bella, please let me," she nervously replied. "It was an honor to be chosen and… well, I haven't had many opportunities to show Master Aro that I am worthy of the honor he bestows."

I realized immediately that we were no longer talking about meals. We were talking about life and death. Whether I agreed with her choice or not, she was here and she was not leaving alive.

I nodded slowly in understanding. "I see… well, I'll be sure to mention your excellent service to Aro."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You would do that? For me? But your coven doesn't approve…"

"First," I corrected her, "we're not a coven. We're a family. And second, you're right. We don't approve of killing people, but even if you're turned, you don't have to drink from humans. The Cullens drink animal blood and when I'm one of them, I'll do that, too."

At that, her eyebrows shot up impossibly higher and her mouth dropped open. "You're going to become… one of them? So Master Aro is going to change you?"

"No!" I exclaimed a little too passionately, but then calmed down quickly. "No, not Aro. Edward is going to do it. After we get married."

"I'm sorry. I thought you were here to be changed. I mean, you're human and you know the secret. How is it that you've been allowed to live?"

I looked apprehensively at Edward. "Aro did say I had to change or die, but he gave us a little time to work out the details. But I'd already made the decision before Aro even knew I existed. If I can have forever with Edward, I'll do whatever it takes."

Edward lovingly kissed the top of my head. Felka was looking at him strangely.

"No," he told her quietly.

"What?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"No, I can't change you. None of us can."

Her eyes were as big as saucers. "How did you know what…?"

"Didn't anyone tell you I can read minds?" Edward asked.

"Oh… no, sir," she mumbled, blushing furiously. I was sort of glad I wasn't the only one who could turn 14 different shades of red. "I'd heard someone in your coven… um… I mean, family, could do that, but I thought it was just a rumor. We don't get much information about special visitors of your kind."

"I see. Well, that particular rumor happens to be true. And no, you can't hide your thoughts from me – trust me, people try all the time," he said with a wink and a smile.

She blushed.

"I just want you to know it's not about you," Edward tried to reassure her. "The Brothers have strict rules about who is turned in Volterra. We can't just come in here and start biting people on a whim."

After a moment, he sighed. "You know we can't do that, either."

"But _she's_ human…" Felka gestured to me. "And she's leaving with you, isn't she?"

"Of course she is, but Bella's a special case. She may have a gift, and you know how Aro is about the gifted."

Felka nodded, but then looked at Edward once more, an unspoken plea written on her face.

"I'm sorry, but that wouldn't make a difference to him, and I could never do that," he answered.

"I didn't think so, but it was worth a shot," she said with a slight smile before turning to roll her cart out and closing the door behind her.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I don't think you want to know," he cautioned.

"Try me," I said as I sat down to an amazing-looking breakfast.

Edward pulled up a chair next to me. "Please don't let this affect your opinion of her. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and she's getting pretty desperate."

"That bad?" I asked.

"Well, it's not good. She thought maybe Aro would let me change her if I said I wanted to…"

"To…?" I prompted.

"To marry her. Not instead of you, but in addition to you."

"Polygamy? That's illegal."

"Illegal!" he blurted through a snort. "Is that your primary concern?"

I had to chuckle, too. "Well, that and nobody else is getting her hands on my man."

"Oooohhh… possessiveness becomes you, Miss Swan," he teased, then added more soberly, "but really, it wouldn't matter if I married 50 humans. Aro didn't allow you to live because we were a couple. He allowed it because he's interested in your gift. He doesn't care one iota that you and I are mates and destined to be married."

"Aro is much too pragmatic for romance."

"He sees himself as a romantic, but you definitely see him more accurately than he does," Edward replied.

"So, Felka might not make it. She obviously isn't convinced if she's trying to make contingency plans."

"I was going to suggest that she consider continuing to live as a human servant here, but I don't even know if that's an option, and even if it was, I'm not sure she'd want to take it," Edward replied grimly.

"I really don't understand the draw to this place," I said with a shiver. "I have a very good reason for wanting to make the change. For me, it's not about eternal youth and beauty or superhuman strength and speed, or even immortality. It's for love. I can't imagine having a lesser reason than that."

"Most of us never had a choice, but the ones that do? I'm with you. I don't understand why anyone would want this so-called life. I can still barely believe that you're willing to make the change… for me." He took my hand in his and softly kissed my knuckle.

"Let's not get carried away, now," I chided. "It's not entirely selfless. I'm changing for me, too."

He looked at me, clearly puzzled by something that seemed completely obvious to me.

"I want to be with you forever."

He started to interrupt, but I kept going. "You've said if I died, you would have someone kill you. I can't even contemplate allowing that to happen when I could make it completely unnecessary."

"Bella, we've gone over this time and time again. You can't do this because you're worried about me."

"And why not?" I asked abruptly. "You would die to save me, right? Why can't I die to save you?"

"Well… that's not… it's just…" he stumbled over his words, which he almost never did, "you can't… it's just… different."

"Oh, really? And how is it different exactly?" I challenged.

"For one thing, I'm already dead, so there."

"You think that wins the argument?" I laughed at his cockiness. "You might not be human, but you're not dead either. I know this because a dead man wouldn't be aggravating me right now."

"Touché, my love… touché."

"OK, but seriously, Edward, this would be an example of you thinking you love me more than I love you. You allow yourself the luxury of being all noble and selflessly dying for me, but I'm not allowed to do the same? If it works on your side of the equation, it has to work on my side, too, or we're not equals."

I was sort of breathing heavy after my impassioned little rant. I wasn't sure where that came from, but I wasn't going to take back a word of it. Edward was looking at me with a combination of confusion, uncertainty, and perhaps a little bit of awe. Or at least that's how I chose to interpret it.

After a few long moments, I couldn't take the silence anymore. "Please say something," I implored.

"Sorry… a little lost in thought over here. So, I'm not done talking about this, but you have given me a few new things to think about…"

I smiled, doing a happy victory dance on the inside. "That's all I ask. Think about it, and then put yourself in my shoes. Would you be willing to change if our places were reversed?"

"Of course I would," he answered with no hesitation. "But I'm… you know… the _guy_. I'm supposed to do whatever it takes…"

I smiled and put my finger over his lips. "There is a fine line between chivalry and sexism, and you're in danger of crossing it, my dear."

"Remember when I said I'm not old-fashioned," he chuckled. "Yeah, strike that."

"Oh, I never did take that seriously," I laughed with him.

"OK, fair enough," he had to admit. "So, I don't know what to say, Bella. I know you're right, but it just seems so… so wrong."

"Well, just stick with the part about me being right and forget how it seems"

Edward looked toward the door. "Carlisle and Fred are almost back. Carlisle wants me to gather everyone in his room."

There was a knock at the door. "Yes, Alice, I got the message. Go ahead and tell everyone and we'll be right there."

I took a few more bites of the fluffy blueberry waffles, wondering what was in store for us next.

When Edward and I arrived in Esme's sitting room, we took the open loveseat near the fireplace, which I'm sure had been lit for me. The castle was drafty and cold and it made me wonder where the other humans lived. My attention was diverted when Carlisle and Fred entered.

Carlisle was about to speak, when he was interrupted by a positively beaming Fred. "You guys. You won't believe this. I met someone."

**-…-**

A/N: OK, so I suppose this is a bit of a "Merry Christmas" cliffie, but not a bad one, right? I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year. Thanks for reading!


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: When we last left, Fred had just announced that he'd met someone.

**-…-**

"What's _his_ name?" Emmett asked with a loud guffaw.

"HER name is Amanda," Fred answered defensively.

Emmett laughed even harder. "Last name, Hugginkiss?"

"What are you talking about?" Fred glowered.

"Well, I know you've always been looking for Amanda Hugginkiss."

We all groaned at the terrible joke, although there was some chuckling mixed in.

"You're a moron," Fred stated.

"Takes one to know one. Oh, and while we're at it, neener neener neener."

"Emmett, give it a rest," Carlisle scolded him. "Yes, we met someone quite fascinating actually."

"Wait. Did you both meet her, or did _Fred _meet her?" Rose asked, the innuendo very clear in her inflection.

"I met her. Fred… _met_ her," Carlisle answered with a smile.

"Oooohhh… way to go, Fred!" Emmett whooped as the two of them high-fived.

"So, I'm confused," Esme jumped in. "Why was she out there where you were hunting? Is she human or vampire?"

"Are you kidding? I could never be with a human! I'm not some crazy martyr like Edward," Fred responded with indignation, but then looked sheepish as he realized what he'd said. "I mean, no offense, Edward and Bella. I think you make a great couple and everything, but there's no way I could be that close to a human all the time and not… you know…." He trailed off, but snapped his teeth together, just in case we didn't already very clearly understand what he meant.

Esme still looked confused. "But why would a vampire from Volterra be out where you were hunting?"

"She was hunting, too," Fred answered like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Hold on. One of the Volturi hunts like us?" Jasper puzzled.

Fred simply shrugged. "She sort of has to."

The room quietly erupted with speculation before Carlisle held up his hands. "Let me explain. Amanda has a gift, and it's a very strange one for a vampire, actually. Esme, remember back in the early 50's, I showed you a newspaper clipping about that healer in South Africa? People were flocking to some little abbey in Klerksdorp, like it was some kind of pilgrimage?"

"You mean the morning of November 19th, 1951, at 7:28 and 14 seconds, Eastern Standard Time, when you were wearing that tan sweater I hated so much and I was sitting in the rocking chair near the picture window? No, I don't have any recollection of that at all," she teased.

"Hey, whatever happened to that sweater?" Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to know, dear," she laughed. Edward chuckled, too, so it must have been good. Carlisle shook his head and smiled warmly at his feisty wife.

"But that girl… I thought they proved she was a fraud," Esme brought us back to the subject at hand.

"That's what the papers said, but there was something about the story that seemed entirely too real to me. I'd see a little blurb here and there every once in a while from all over the world, and I always wondered if it was the same woman. There were vague descriptions, but no real solid connections. I haven't heard anything for the past couple of years, but it's something I've been following for a long time."

"So, Fred has a crush on a 70-year-old nun from Klerksdorp that Carlisle's been stalking? Is that what I just heard?" Emmett joked. "And what the hell kind of name is Klerksdorp, anyway?"

"Need I remind you that we live in Forks?" Alice challenged him.

"Good point," he agreed, then returned his focus to Fred. "You do know, if she's a nun, she don't want nun and you ain't gonna get nun, right?"

Rosalie whapped Emmett. Hard.

He rubbed his head, looking quite perturbed. "Hey, I'm just saying what everybody else is thinking."

"I can read everyone's thoughts, except Bella's, and nobody was thinking that except you," Edward informed him. "And I doubt that's what Bella was thinking either." My nod confirmed he was right.

Carlisle's intercepted Emmett's next comment. "I'm not stalking her, and no, Emmett, she's not 70. From what I can gather, she was turned in the mid-50's. She told us she just recently came to Volterra to get away from all the people coming to be healed."

"That means she was human when you first saw that article," Esme mused. "So, her gift came through the change with her."

"Yes, but like most, it's a lot more powerful now."

"So, why was she out hunting animals?" I asked the obvious question.

"She can't bite people," Fred answered. "They heal faster than she can drink from them. She prefers human blood, but she can't get it the old-fashioned way."

"Can't she just drink it from a cup or something?" I inquired further.

I was answered with a collective round of gagging sounds, ewwww's and ugh's, and a room full of vampires looking at me like I'd just suggested we all sit down and share a nice tall glass of slug slime.

"Well, I don't know how these things work!" I defended myself. "Can't she take it from people with a syringe or something?"

"She said she did that for quite a while. When she got thirsty, she would find someone who needed healing and take a blood donation from each family member as payment. Even I thought that was creepy…" Carlisle said with a shiver. "Of course, she told people it was to restock the local blood bank."

"How is drinking it from a bag different from a cup?" I asked.

Carlisle looked at me with compassion, which made me feel like an idiot. "Bella, without putting too fine a point on it, think if the IV tubing as a long straw."

I'm sure my face went slightly more pale than normal as I whispered, "Oh…"

"Way to not put too fine a point on it there, Carlisle," Jasper taunted.

"So, why did she come here? I mean, if that was working for her…" Rose chimed in.

"A couple of reasons, actually," Carlisle answered. "Twitter and Facebook made it almost impossible for her to remain anonymous. Her 'patients' would agree to silence, but somebody would tweet their closest 497 friends and pretty soon she was bombarded with people rushing to see her."

"Couldn't she just leave before it got crowded?" I asked.

"That's the other reason – every time she heals someone, it saps some of her strength. If they have a hangnail or something simple, it doesn't take much, but if they have broken bones or cancer or something serious, it wipes her out. If too many people touch her, she can actually become incapacitated for a while."

"She could be enslaved very easily if humans knew how to go about it," Fred added morosely.

"OK, but I still don't get why she's here. What would Aro want with someone who can heal humans?" Rosalie pressed.

Carlisle sighed. "I guess that's the big question. She said she has a purpose here, but that Aro wanted to tell us about it himself. Apparently it's a surprise. Generally speaking, I don't like Aro's surprises."

"I still don't get why she hunts animals," Jasper jumped in. "Isn't the silly straw method good enough?"

"Blood diseases are becoming more common in humans, and even diabetes and high cholesterol cause her problems. The blood heals as it goes into her system, but it takes away her energy, too."

"And I don't suppose she can diagnose these things beforehand…" I pondered aloud.

"No, and actually, she was hoping I could do something like that. I guess my reputation as a physician has been augmented over the years, and while I do pride myself in having 'House-like' diagnostic capabilities, I can't touch somebody and know exactly what's wrong with them."

"Way Number 17 that Hugh Laurie is better than you," Alice teased.

Carlisle playfully chucked his daughter under the chin. "Watch out, little lady, or I'm going to start listing the ways 'Medium' is better than you!"

Alice looked positively scandalized, causing all of us to laugh.

"So, when do we meet her?" I asked. I needed to size up this Amanda girl to see if she was good enough for Fred, my newly-adopted-sort-of-like-a-brother-in-law-for-all-intents-and-purposes.

"We are expected in the Great Hall at 1:00 sharp. She said she would be there as well," Carlisle answered. "If anyone else needs to hunt, this would be a good time to do it."

**-…-**

Since we had a couple of hours to kill, Edward sat down at the piano in Carlisle and Esme's parlor. All our rooms were ridiculously plush and well-appointed, but their suite of rooms was bigger than Charlie's entire house.

I was nothing even remotely resembling anything similar to a musician, but I loved to hear Edward play. I leaned into Esme as we sat on the sofa together, allowing our minds to be filled with the breathtakingly beautiful pieces Edward chose – some spritely and playful, some intense and moody, others grandiose and awe-inspiring.

A tap at the door brought me back to Planet Earth all too soon.

Edward paused. "Come in, Felka."

The door opened a crack before Esme pulled it open to welcome the timid girl inside.

"Please, don't stop playing on my account. That was… amazing." It was then I noticed her eyes were wide and glassy, and I wondered how long she'd been listening.

Edward smiled and obliged her, playing a Chopin nocturne, which I knew because Edward said it was a Chopin nocturne.

"From my country," Felka sighed, placing her hand over her heart. Seeing her reaction made me love Edward just a tiny bit more, even though I'd thought that impossible. The three of us were nothing short of mesmerized by Edward's incredible talent. Not only was every note perfect, but his interpretation of the music brought tears to my eyes as well.

Only after he played the final notes and we gave him a hearty round of applause did Felka seem to remember why she was there. "Oh, dear! Your lunch! It's cold!"

"No worries," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. You're looking at someone who's eaten a tub of cottage cheese for dinner. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't picky."

She tittered nervously and began setting out my meal.

"I do have one complaint," I stated matter-of-factly after taking my first bite.

She looked at me, horrified, until my face broke into a smile. "This food is so good and you bring so much of it, I'm going to gain 20 pounds by the end of the week!"

Once she truly realized I was only joking, she finally seemed to relax a little.

"More of you to love," Edward cooed in my ear. Felka and I looked at each other and broke out laughing.

"What?" he asked, actually seeming bewildered.

"With that logic, I should keep eating until I look like Jabba the Hutt!" I teased.

I could see him struggling for the right thing to say, which just made me laugh harder.

"It's OK, dear," I patted his arm condescendingly. "You still get full credit for being very sweet."

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He shook his head slowly, clearly not realizing he'd just dodged a bullet.

Felka sighed and began gathering her things. "I should be going. Enjoy your lunch, ma'… I mean, Bella."

We shared a knowing smile.

"Perhaps by the time you're ready to leave, I will just be getting accustomed to calling you by your Christian name," she joked.

"It's OK, either way," I assured her.

"Yes, _ma'am_," she answered with a giggle and a wink on her way out the door.

Edward still looked deep in thought and quite perplexed. "So…, what should I have said to your 'Jabba' comment?"

"Oh, Edward, with as many minds as you've read, you don't recognize the 'woman trap' when you see it? There IS no good answer. If you agreed with me, you'd be in trouble for not liking how I look now, and if you disagreed, you'd be in trouble because it would imply that you wouldn't still love me if I gained weight! It's a no-win situation. I think you sitting there looking puzzled was the best answer possible."

Then he REALLY looked puzzled, for which he received a sweet kiss.

**-…-**

We arranged our processional in the hallway. Jasper, always the one for strategy, had decided a specific order for us to enter the Great Hall. Alice had agreed to the configuration, until Edward moved himself between Fred and me.

"No, Edward. Bella needs to be between you. Otherwise, she'll be exposed on the left side, which could be tempting to some of the newer guard members over there. The right side is even worse. She'll be safest in the center."

"Good lord, Edward," Fred groused. "Are you EVER going to trust me? Do you really trust the Volturi more than me?"

Edward gave him the once over and finally moved us back to our previous positions. "I'm sorry, Fred. You're right. You haven't thought of Bella as a meal in a very long time. I guess old habits really do die hard."

"I get it. I mean, I barely even know Amanda and I already feel like I'd want to rip anyone or anything apart that even might possibly hurt her."

"So you think she may be your mate?" Edward asked.

"I didn't mean that exactly…" Fred trailed off, looking a little self-conscious.

"Yeah, ya did," Jasper chuckled. We could all feel Fred's hope and longing amplified through Jasper's gift.

"I've heard loving a nun can be habit-forming," Emmett snickered.

"You've been waiting all day to say that, haven't you," I accused him.

"Not ALL day. Just since I found out Fred's girlfriend is a sister."

Fred grabbed Em by the shirtfront, ripping it, but obviously not caring. "Don't you dare embarrass me in front of her, Emmett. I'm serious. She's not a nun. If you tease her, so help me…"

In less than a blink of my eye, Emmett was writhing on the floor, but nobody else was affected at all. I wasn't the only one to notice.

"Fred, stop," Carlisle instructed calmly. Fred seemed to snap out of his anger and released Emmett, even offering to help him up off the ground, which was completely unnecessary.

"Sorry, man, I don't know what came over me," Fred apologized.

"I do. Vamps are always possessive with their _mates_," Emmett said, smirking as he brushed some dirt off his pants. "And now I need to get another shirt." He disappeared into his room and was back in just a second or two, buttoning up a rather loud, flower-laden Hawaiian monstrosity.

Now it was Alice's turn to fume. "You are NOT wearing THAT to meet the Volturi. You look like everything bad about Hawaii just threw up on you! Rose, back me up here."

Rosalie was already on it. "I told you not to even bring that stupid shirt. It's embarrassing! I mean, look at me and then look in the mirror. Do I look like someone who would be seen with someone who didn't know how to dress himself properly?"

I loved Rose, but seriously, she could make anything about her. Emmett looked confused and possibly a tiny bit hurt.

Alice decided to take a different approach, reaching her tiny hand to rest on his massive one. "Em, you know I love buying clothes for everyone, but I especially like shopping for you. Do you know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because you're the most challenging. Most guys aren't nearly as big and burly as you, so finding clothes that will fit and show off that impressive body isn't easy. It hurts my feelings when you go off and buy some rouge… 'thing,'" she grimaced as she touched the sleeve. "It's not even made well, and it makes me think you don't appreciate what I do for you."

Her hugely round eyes and perfect little pout reminded me of 'Puss in Boots' from Shrek. And it had the same effect.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I'll get something else. But can I keep the shirt?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, I suppose you can keep it, but please just wear it to the beach, OK? For me?"

Emmett dashed off to get another shirt. Alice turned, smiled smugly and brushed her hands together. "My work here is done."

Rosalie scowled. "I could have gotten him to change his shirt, too, you know."

"Yes, but then he would have been sulking. Now he thinks it's a good idea," Alice chirped happily as Rose exaggeratedly rolled her eyes.

Once Emmett was properly attired and back in 'formation', we started toward the Great Hall. I was nervous, but it was nothing like the last time we'd been here. At that time, I had been very sure we were going to die, but now I was only about half sure we were going to die. That had to be an improvement, right?

Two vampires stood guard at the door. I didn't recognize either of them, which was always disconcerting. As the old saying went, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know. Since this place was full of devils, it was especially poignant.

As the massive doors opened, I saw some of the devils I did know. Felix, Demetri, Drivey, and Heidi stood on the main floor. Demetri, always the flirt, gave me a little wave. Edward stiffened immediately, a very low growl rumbling through his body. Needless to say, even if I'd wanted to wave back, which I didn't, I wouldn't have done it in consideration of Edward's reaction.

On the first step to the throne platform stood Jane and Alec, whom I considered to be the root of most evil. Remembering how she tortured Edward and ruthlessly ordered the execution of Bree, I once again wished I could rip Jane apart and burn her. She had to be the meanest, most vile creature on the planet. But then my eyes moved to the puppet master himself, Aro, and while he seemed infinitely more kindly and civilized, he was the root behind the root.

"Welcome, Cullens!" Aro brightly announced, effectively silencing the hushed whispers all around us. "I trust your stay so far has been pleasant? Everything to your liking?"

"Yes, thank you," Carlisle politely replied. "On behalf of my family, your hospitality is most appreciated."

The word 'family' had not gone unnoticed, as many of the vampires in the room shifted uncomfortably at the mention of it.

"Yes, yes…" Aro continued, his tone slightly darkened. "Well, now, I've never had the opportunity to meet some of your coven members. This must be your lovely wife, Esme. My dear, I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

"Thank you, and it's nice to finally meet you as well," Esme answered.

If anyone could sincerely mean that in reference to Aro, it was Esme, but I didn't know if even SHE could be sincere about something like that.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Aro continued. "And of course I know Alice. Lovely to see you again. And this must be your husband, Jasper? The empath?"

"Yes, sir, that's me," Jasper drawled.

"Tell me, young Jasper, what am I feeling right now?"

Jasper looked unsure, something I rarely saw with him. He smirked and shook his head.

"Oh, certainly you can afford one little demonstration of your gift to a curious old vampire?"

"Just remember you insisted," Jasper forewarned. "I sense a strong combination of confidence and fear."

Whispering broke out all around us. Caius was the only one to speak aloud. "Aro has nothing to fear, you arrogant boy. Who do you think you are dealing with here?"

"Caius," Aro threw a warning look at him, "I asked Jasper to speak his mind and he did. The fact is, fear of the unknown is quite normal, and we do have an unknown quantity in the room, don't we." His gaze practically pierced through Fred. "I do have confidence in the abilities of my guard, however, so Jasper spoke correctly on both counts."

Aro may as well have been carrying a neon sign warning Fred to be careful or else, and Fred seemed to know it.

"And you simply have to be Rosalie and Emmett. I thought descriptions of your beauty had to have been greatly exaggerated, and here I see that, if anything, you have been grossly underrated, my dear. And Emmett, as big as Felix!" Aro clapped his hands together in glee. "Tell me, if I were to pit the two of you against each other, who would win?"

Emmett looked disdainfully at Felix and replied, "Obviously it would be me. He may be close to my size, but I have the added advantage of intelligence."

Felix snarled. "Bring it on, little man." The two of them appeared ready to go at it right there in the Great Hall.

"Emmett!" Esme reprimanded him.

"Look, Emmy… you're mommy's calling."

"Felix, enough!" Aro snapped. Felix reacted immediately, straightening from his attack position.

"I'd rather be on her leash than his," Emmett commented snidely to his nemesis.

Aro ignored him and moved on. "Ah, Edward and Bella. I was surprised when Jane reported that you were still human, my dear girl. Caius wanted to send assassins immediately, but then we received your lovely wedding invitation with an explanation of your plans, so what would have been an unfortunate travesty was thankfully averted."

I glared at Caius, wishing my eyes could burn holes in him and that I could throw him onto the same bonfire with Jane.

Aro obviously noticed the direction of my glowering. "Caius does have an inordinate amount of love for the law. I'm sure it's nothing personal, my dear."

"Yes, I'm sure," I gritted through the fakest smile I could muster.

"Speaking of the law, I was also sorry to hear about your run-in with a newborn army. Tragic when some of our kind refuse to follow the few simple rules we implement to keep order. I still don't know how seven of you defeated twenty of them. That must have been quite something… yes, quite something indeed."

"If we'd had the kind of help you suggest, don't you think Jane and her party would have smelled them? Certainly Demetri could have tracked Eleazer and Carmen at the very least," Edward blurted in response to Aro's thoughts. I noticed then that he hadn't said we didn't have help… it just wasn't the help Aro had suspected.

"Perhap our friend Emmett is correct then. Brains can conquer brawn. It was nearly three to one in their favor, and yet you not only defeated them, but none of you even had a hair out of place."

"We also had experience, strategy, and gifts on our side," Carlisle added. "We used Bella's scent to lure them through our chosen path, which gave us a distinct advantage. Jasper is an exceptional strategist, and with Alice seeing it all play out in advance, we were able to position ourselves accordingly."

"Bella is quite the little strategist, too, I'm learning," Jasper added. I wasn't sure I wanted Aro to know that, but I trusted Jasper wouldn't have shared it if he'd thought it would be harmful.

"And that brings us to newborn number 21. Our friend, Fred," Aro smiled wickedly at our surprised faces. "Did you think I wouldn't have done my research? Did you think you could hide the fact that he'd been part of the newborn army?"

"We weren't trying to hide it necessarily," Carlisle interjected. "Fred didn't fight with them, so there was no reason to include him in the discussion. For all practical purposes, he wasn't part of their army."

"But he was turned as part of their army," Caius spat. "And that makes him an illegal creation. The law is very clear about this, and about the consequences."

Carlisle shook his head emphatically. "But he had no choice in the matter. He was an innocent victim in someone else's illegal plan. She's dead now. Everyone connected to her is dead, too. Fred was never part of this, except in the eyes of a certain crazed, revenge-hungry, red-headed vampire. When given the opportunity, he left the army and went out on his own."

"Yes, and now the entire world has footage of that little escapade," Caius jeered. "Another illegal activity, might I add."

"Nobody was identified and there isn't even a suspicion of vampire involvement. No harm, no foul," Carlisle shot back.

"Only after Aro sent someone in to take the blame. Who knows what would have happened otherwise!"

Now Carlisle was getting angry. "Precisely! We don't know what might have happened. We could speculate all day about things that might happen. Possible violations of the law are not actual violations. All we know in this case is that nothing came of it, Volturi involvement or not."

"May I speak for myself?" Fred asked boldly. More whispers went around the room. These Volturi guard members were certainly a gossipy bunch.

"Fred…" Edward whispered harshly. Fred turned to him, nodded, and a second later, Edward nodded for him to continue.

"I may never get over that," Aro smiled in appreciation of Edward's gift. "Yes, Fred, let's hear from you."

**-…-**

A/N: Doh!

Well, for some reason, this was a difficult chapter. The first half took me forever, and I probably deleted more than I kept. The second half basically wrote itself, however. It sort of scares me how easily I write dialogue for Aro and Caius. (I hope it's also GOOD dialogue!)

Thanks for reading. Love to get reviews, so please write early and often!


	33. Chapter 33

Fred thought about where to start. "Carlisle is right. I didn't choose this, and I would never have volunteered for Victoria's army. I was minding my own business when this guy, Riley, grabs me off the street and the next thing I know, someone is biting me and I'm in hell for what seems like eternity and I wake up a vampire. How is it right that I should be punished for that? What did I do wrong?"

"We heard about the raids in Seattle. Newborns running rampant in the streets, attacking humans out in the open like barbarians," Caius leveled an accusing finger at Fred. "Are you saying you never participated in these illegal acts?"

"I never went out with the others. Not even once. They really were barbarians and I wanted nothing to do with any of them. I hunted discreetly, like Riley told us, even though he never told us why. I didn't even know there were laws for our kind until I met the Cullens."

"For what it's worth, I can verify that he's telling the truth," Edward added. "He had no knowledge of the law or the Volturi. His maker failed in her duty to him as a newborn."

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it," Caius barked.

"But I didn't break the law, even when I knew nothing of it," Fred shot back. "The only humans who saw me were the ones I drained."

"Humans certainly saw you in Vancouver! Every television and website in the entire world broadcasted your little stunt. That one event could have cost us everything!" Caius exclaimed.

"Seriously? Come on! No human would look at what happened in that park and think 'Aha! This must be the work of a vampire!'" Fred mocked rather boldly.

"Watch your tone with me, child," Caius threatened. "If you hadn't noticed, we make the rules around here. And enforce them."

Fred was starting to get agitated, and I was starting to get nervous. Of this group, Caius wasn't the one I'd want to challenge. Not that I'd want to challenge any of them, but still…

"But don't you see? I'm agreeing with you. You made the rules and I'm saying I haven't broken any of them! There's nothing to enforce."

"You were created as part of an illegal newborn army. One rule broken," Caius sneered.

"Victoria and Riley broke that rule, not me. I was a victim… a pawn in their game. I took no active role in breaking any vampire laws. It's not fair to blame me for something someone else did! I didn't even know vampires existed until I woke up as one!" Fred cried out in his frustration.

Caius' voice lowered to nothing more than a sinister whisper as he narrowed his eyes. "Are you insinuating that our law is unjust? You've been a vampire for all of what… perhaps a year? At best? Who do you think you are, making such accusations! You know nothing of our history, of the wars, of the struggles we've seen in the past three-thousand years. You are barely a zygote in comparison. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Everything but the zygote part," Fred said, trying to hold back a snicker. I saw Emmett's shoulders shake as well. I'm sure Rose would have popped him one if it wouldn't have attracted unwanted attention.

"Insolence!" Caius yelled.

Carlisle quickly stepped forward. "Caius, please understand that Fred is very young and he really doesn't understand the gravity of the situation he's in. You're right – we've shared some of our history with him, but since he has no personal experience, he has little genuine appreciation for the great work of the Volturi."

I wondered how much Carlisle would have to scrub his nose to get the brown off of it.

"However, I don't want to lose the key point," he continued. "Fred, himself, by his own choosing, has not broken the law, even though he was ignorant of it."

"So, we're supposed to just excuse this young upstart who comes in here trying to tell ME how things should be done? Is that what you're saying, Carlisle?" Caius scoffed

"Yes, if he has done nothing wrong," Carlisle answered back. "And aside from his impudence, my assertion is that he is innocent. I WILL be talking to him about his lack of respect, however." He shot Fred a scathing glare. "That being said, I was led to believe we were invited here for a visit. I didn't realize my son would be on trial."

Aro finally cut in. "Carlisle is correct. This is not a trial, although you, young Fred, would do well not to be quite so impertinent in this assembly. With one nod from me, my guard could subdue you and your entire coven. Do not forget your place."

"With all due respect, is that a threat?" Fred asked with a bit of threating tone of his own.

Aro looked him over. His eyes flashed to Jane, but then he threw his head back laughing. "Oh, my… you _are_ a spirited little thing. Carlisle told me he doesn't control you, but I had no idea to what extent he was speaking. You should listen to your 'father,'" he said with quote marks in the air. "He's known us for a very long time. He knows our limits."

I shivered, not so much at Aro's words, but at his implications. Honestly, he could make an offer of milk and cookies sound ominous.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a young female vampire, beautiful of course, subtly gesturing. At first, I thought she was trying to get my attention until I noticed Fred nodding, hanging his head a bit. She had to be Amanda, because she looked worried and angry. I figured if I were her, I'd be wearing the exact same expression. It appeared Fred would be getting more lectures than just Carlisle's.

"So, enough of this silly posturing," Aro waved his hand dismissively. "We've gathered to see what our young friend here can do. What do you have in store for us?"

Aro and Caius returned to their thrones. It was only then I noticed Marcus was there, too, looking as bored as ever. He caught my gaze and I gave him a little wave and a smile. He lifted a single finger in response, which for him was probably equivalent to Alice doing back-flips all around the room.

"If I may," Carlisle stepped forward a little further, "Fred has made remarkable strides with the control of his gift; however he does not have anything near mastery of it, so his aim isn't exactly accurate. We've all ended up on the ground unexpectedly at one time or another… except for Bella, of course."

"Yes… of course… " Caius replied as he tapped the fingers of his tented hands together. He and Jane looked like they were competing in a 'Sneer at Bella' contest. Caius would have taken the gold, but Jane was no slouch in the 'evil looks' department.

"And he has no effect on Bella whatsoever," Aro stated rather than asked.

"Apparently not," Carlisle answered for me. I nodded in assent.

"Fascinating," Aro cooed. I didn't like the way he was looking at me, and Edward's faint growl told me I wasn't wrong.

"Fred?" Carlisle called, motioning him to the front of the assembly. The rest of the Cullens shuffled backwards to give him some space, obviously having been subjected to his gift a few too many times. There really wasn't a 'safe' place in the vicinity, but being behind him was the best anyone could hope for.

I remembered he'd said Bree used to sit behind him because it was safe back there. I didn't know why that hadn't occurred to me before. If Carlisle had thought about it, he had never mentioned it in my presence. I'd have to ask him about it later, since it might be just a tad counterproductive to point out a potential weak spot in Fred's attack while we were standing here surrounded by the Volturi.

"Anyone specific?" Fred asked, looking around the room. I wished I could answer, since I had a few in mind.

"Not it!" Emmett yelled rather loudly, looking at Jasper like he'd expected him to do the same. It was a game they played at home, but clearly not one to be playing in the Great Hall of the Volturi. Esme just shook her head in utter disbelief.

Since nobody rushed forward, Felix stepped up. "I'll do it, since the mighty Emmett has forfeited yet another opportunity to show his supposed strength," he smiled smugly. "He might not be able to handle it, but I've had worse. As you Americans like to say, 'bring it on.'" I didn't think it was a good idea to taunt Fred like that, or to insult Fred's best buddy, but since it was Felix, I figured it really wouldn't hurt my feelings if Fred took him down a notch or two… or ten. It would probably be entertaining, and I suddenly wished I had some popcorn.

Carlisle directed Felix off to the side of the room and asked everyone in his path to move out of the way. They seemed happy to oblige. Fred turned to face one of the two titans of the vampire world. Carlisle moved near Esme in a vain attempt to find the best possible place to duck and cover, and told Fred, "Go!"

Felix dropped like a rock and began convulsing and writhing under Fred's stare.

"Enough," Carlisle directed. A few beats later, Fred stopped and Felix leapt to his feet, fire in his eyes.

"That's not what happened the last time," he spat bitterly, crouching in preparation to attack. Fred just glared at him again and this time Felix dropped and didn't move. If it weren't for the horrendous screaming emanating from him, I would have thought he was just taking a rest on the floor.

Watching the attack on his friend spurred Demetri into action. Everything happened too quickly for my human eyes, but by the time things slowed enough for me to figure it out, I saw that Demetri was now a second crumpled, screaming mass on the floor. I covered my ears as quickly as I could and wondered how long this would be allowed to last.

I turned my attention to Aro, his eyes alight with what could only be described as lust. I knew he coveted talented vampires; I'd seen the way he looked at Edward and Alice, but even that didn't compare to his obvious thrill of finding a brand new toy. Jane could only attack one at a time. Fred's power had no such limits.

Granted, I hadn't spent as much time in the practice field as everyone else in the family, but I knew I had never seen Fred's gift cause someone the agony I was currently witnessing. I wondered if it always had the potential to be this strong, but perhaps simply didn't manifest itself with the Cullens because Fred didn't genuinely despise them.

I also wondered if Fred was showing Aro a little too much.

"OK, Fred, that's enough," Carlisle gently prodded. Fred didn't let up. "That's enough, Fred," he said a little more forcefully. No response.

My eyes turned back toward Aro, just to gauge his reaction. I thought he might be angry, but he seemed pleased and eerily serene.

"Jane," Edward hissed from my side at the same time Aro calmly spoke her name, and suddenly Fred added Jane and Alec to his group of victims.

Oh her way to the floor, however, Jane focused her gaze on Fred. He let out a blood-curdling scream, and I would know, being the only one in the room with blood, before being buckled at the knees. He didn't stop his attack, but I knew he was weakened when I saw Felix and Demetri start to move again.

Jane was on the ground, screaming in pain, but her eyes never left Fred. He was on the ground, screaming in pain, but he didn't let up, either. It was the showdown Felix had hoped for, although he was in no condition to watch it.

Other vampires in Jane's vicinity began to drop, including Caius, who actually toppled from his throne onto the floor. Who would have ever thought he might need a seatbelt for that thing? Aro, Renata, Marcus, Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper were among the next group as bodies dropped all around me. Soon, the only one left standing was me.

Time stood still in my head for just a few seconds as I processed the scene around me. I was a human in a room full of incapacitated vampires. I could have just sauntered over, lit a match to Jane, and moseyed on out the door and not one of them could have stopped me in that moment. It made me feel strangely powerful, even though I knew logically that none of the power actually came from me.

When I managed to gather my wits about me and remembered my loved ones were among those in pain, I yelled, "Stop it!" Nobody listened. So much for my big power-trip. "Jane, let Fred go, and Fred, you have to let everyone up. You're hurting… people you care about." Yes, I was referring to the Cullens, but also to Amanda, who wasn't immune to Fred's ability like I was.

I didn't know if they could even hear me over the din of screams, but in what was no more than a blink of an eye, vampires started rising to their feet. The only way to describe the collective looks on the faces of the Volturi was 'freaked-out.' They started the low murmured buzzing amongst themselves and I wanted to ask Fred to forget everything I just said and shut them up again. But the screaming really was worse.

"Apparently Fred's been holding out on us," Edward whispered to me.

I just nodded.

I caught a glimpse of Jane's infuriated face as she fussed over her brother for a moment, brushing off his cloak as he righted himself. A calm Jane was scary enough, but an enraged Jane was downright petrifying.

Aro sat back in his throne, smiling that insincere plastic smile of his. "Well, Carlisle. You told me Fred's gift was strong, but I had no idea."

"Frankly, Aro, neither did I," Carlisle responded in kind. "I've been pinned by him more than my fair sha…"

His words were abruptly interrupted by a keening scream. It took me a moment to figure out what was happening. Jane was happening. She was attacking Fred, and the surprise assault had obviously left him helpless.

"Jane!" Aro commanded. "Stop this instant!"

"But he was hurting you, Master. He needs to be punished."

"I decide who deserves pun..." but his words were abruptly interrupted by a collective gasp. Looking at all the heads turning this way and that like they were watching 22 tennis matches all at the same time, seeing Jane's astonished face as she childishly stomped and screeched while her eyes searched the room, watching Fred get up and wander around completely unaffected, noticing that nobody else was tracking Fred's movements, and seeing all the Cullens give me puzzled looks caused me to realize the source of all the fuss: Fred had disappeared.

**-…-**

A/N: This chapter is a little short, I know, but it just felt like the right place to cut off. I just realized this story is almost complete! That's a weird feeling… Anyway, please leave me some feedback, especially since it's my birthday month. I'll admit I shamelessly promote my own birthday at every opportunity. (It's the 14th, and I thank you in advance for giving other people cards and flowers and chocolates and going out to nice, romantic dinners, all in honor of my birthday!) :-)


	34. Chapter 34

"Carlisle, what is going on?" Aro angrily demanded.

"Fred seems to have… how do I say this… disappeared?" Carlisle answered rather sheepishly. I guessed he hadn't exactly told Aro about that part of Fred's ability.

"Disappeared? Demetri!" Aro commanded. "Is Fred still in the room?"

Demetri was trying to locate him, but started doubling over soon afterward, as result of trying to think about him. All he could do was shrug and as soon as he stopped trying to find Fred, he was able to right himself.

"Bella, is Fred still here?" Carlisle asked.

"She can see him?" Caius exclaimed, standing for no apparent reason.

"Yes, he's still here," I answered.

"Well, where is he?" Caius shouted.

Fred looked at me and shook his head, silently asking me not to reveal his location. Of course, everyone followed my eyes, so they had a general idea of where he was, but he quickly moved to another part of the room. I didn't follow his movements.

"I can't tell," I dodged.

"You don't know, or you won't tell us?" Caius asked more directly. So much for dodging.

"He doesn't want me to tell you."

I made the mistake of glancing in his direction again. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head.

"Sorry! Jeez!" I said to him a moment before he moved again.

"Who are you talking to?" Aro asked.

"Fred, of course."

"Would you ask him to reappear?" Aro suggested.

I had to giggle a little. "It's not like he's in an alternate universe or anything. He can hear you."

Aro actually had the decency to look a little embarrassed before he gathered his pretenses about him again.

"Fred, you will make yourself visible. Now!" Caius ordered.

"Ummmm… I don't think that's going to work," I said quietly, fighting the urge to shift my eyes in Fred's direction again.

"Carlisle," Aro addressed his friend sternly, "make this stop. Make him see reason."

"As you've clearly witnessed, I don't control him, but I'll try. Fred, you're not making this any better right now. I'd like for you to stand next to me and make yourself visible again."

Suddenly Fred was a few feet in front of Edward and me. I couldn't help but jump a little, which I'm sure everyone in the room noticed. I quickly focused on an empty spot across the room, just over Fred's shoulder so I could see him in my peripheral vision.

"Fred wants me to tell you what he's thinking," Edward piped up. "He says he didn't mean to make everyone in the room feel sick, but when Aro told Jane to attack him, he lost control. Her power somehow magnified his and bounced all over the room. He thinks you're going to kill him because you're all so angry. He wants me to remind you that he wasn't trying to hurt you; if he'd been in control, he wouldn't have attacked his family, too."

I knew who Fred was really worried about and fought like crazy not to look at her. If the Volturi knew he had a love interest, they could use her to control him much more effectively than using one or even all of us.

"Nobody wants to kill you, Fred," Aro said almost soothingly.

"Actually, Aro, that's not entirely accurate," Edward corrected him. "Caius wants to kill him. He considers Fred a threat more than an asset. Jane definitely wants to kill him, after she tortures him for a decade or so, and Demetri, Felix, and Alec have all been doing some of their own creative thinking on the subject. Renata, surprisingly enough, wants to kill him more than everyone else combined because she wasn't able to shield you from him, and Marcus is still on the fence. Would you like to know what everyone else is thinking?"

Aro glared at Edward. "No, that will be quite sufficient."

"Considering the overwhelming sentiment in the room," Carlisle spoke up, "one could hardly blame Fred for wanting to remain hidden. At this point, my advice to him would be to stay where he is!"

"Would he come out if I assured his safety?" Aro asked, raising his eyebrow.

"He's listening," Edward answered.

"I can decree him 'off limits' to everyone in this assembly. Anyone who so much as looks at him wrong would be punished accordingly."

"What about Caius? And Marcus, if he also decides Fred is a liability?" Edward asked.

"Is that Fred's question or yours?" Aro answered the question with another question.

"That was mine," Edward admitted. "But if I may say so myself, it's a valid one."

Aro pondered this for a long moment. "I must confer with my brothers. Please excuse us."

Apparently this was equivalent to having recess in school because everyone broke into little groups, making conversation, laughing, whispering and pointing, and possibly someone telling someone else they _like_ liked them.

I saw Amanda approaching Carlisle, smiling and extending her hand as she met Esme. Fred was watching her intently, a dreamy look in his eyes. If she could see him, she'd never again wonder how he felt about her. It warmed my heart.

"She wants to meet you," Edward whispered directly into my ear and so quietly, I barely heard him. He took my hand and led me to where the other Cullens were loosely gathered.

"And last, but not least, my first born, Edward, and his fiancé, Bella Swan," Carlisle announced with a smile. Edward shook hands with Amanda, and I reached my hand out to do the same.

"I'm sorry to have to ask this," Amanda murmured, "but do you have any illnesses, or are you currently sick?"

My first reaction was to be caught off-guard. These weren't exactly customary greetings, but it only took me a second to remember why she was asking. "Not that I'm aware of…" I answered nervously. "I'm a little accident prone, so I do have some scars. Do those count?"

She took my hand in both of hers. "It's so nice to meet you, Bella. I've heard a lot about you. And you're right about being accident prone! You had 11 scars that are now gone. I'll send you my bill."

We laughed at her rather charming joke and I made a note-to-self to examine my skin later. "I hope that didn't wear you out. Carlisle told us a little bit about how that works."

"Oh, no. Something like that is a piece of cake, but it's sweet of you to be concerned," Amanda chuckled. She glanced around the room before quietly asking, "Is Fred nearby?"

I smiled, nodding my head to the side to let her know he was right next to us.

"So, he's listening?"

"Yes," I assured her, confirmed by Fred's vigorous nodding.

"Fred, I'm glad you're invisible right now because I never want to see you again, and I can't tell you that in person without having to see you," she spat. "Do you realize the position you've put yourself in? What is wrong with you? You talk to Aro and Caius like you're one of them, but you're not! They're going to kill you, and it's all because you're simply too foolish to shut your mouth. I can't believe I let myself think I might like you. I'm sorry, Bella… Edward… that you had to witness this, but I had to make sure he heard me, loud and clear."

Fred looked completely dejected. I was worried that he might become visible just to talk to Amanda, but she'd told him she didn't want to see him. He looked like he'd just been slapped , run over by a truck and then slapped again. "Yes, I'm sure he heard you," I confirmed quietly, tears forming in my eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, Fred, but I don't know what you hope to gain from disrespecting two of the most powerful beings on earth, and I won't be party to it," Amanda shook her head sadly as she turned and walked back to her place along the wall.

"Oh, Fred. I don't know what to say." I wasn't looking at him because I didn't want to give his position away, but more importantly, I just plain didn't want to look at him. I knew he would look hopeless and probably devastated. It reminded me of how I must have looked when Edward left me. The thought made me go cold.

"Are you OK, love?" Edward asked, concern in his eyes as he gave my hand a slight squeeze.

"Just thinking about Fred…" I mumbled noncommittally. I certainly wasn't going to tell him what I was really thinking, especially not while we were in this particular room that brought back so many vivid and terrible memories.

"I have a feeling things are going to be OK," he said with entirely too much optimism given the circumstances.

"If you say so."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus broke up their little powwow and Aro called everyone to attention. The room was completely silent, but there was still a palpable sense of anxious anticipation in the air.

Aro was the first to speak. "My brothers and I conferred and have decided to offer at least temporary protection to Fred."

"How temporary?" Carlisle asked.

"That depends on Fred. You see, if he was willing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Volturi, he would be afforded the same protection enjoyed by all the guard here."

"And if he's not willing to do that?"

"My dear Carlisle, you know I care deeply for you and your family…"

Edward's jaw tightened.

"But," Aro continued, "Fred is much stronger than any of us ever imagined, and he hasn't even mastered his gift yet. We feel it would be… irresponsible of us to allow someone with his power and lack of control to roam freely in this world. The risk of exposure for our kind is too great. While we are loathe to take away anyone's personal freedom, we must consider the greater good."

"Are you saying 'join or die'?" Edward asked. He was now clenching everything that could be clenched.

"Ah, Edward. Leave it to you to summarize the situation so succinctly!" Aro smiled and clasped his hands together, like he was somehow overjoyed at what Edward has just said. "Not die, necessarily… Just not go back into the world with the rest of you."

"But if he doesn't want to join the guard, he would be expected to stay here, with no protection?" Carlisle asked.

"Of course I hope he doesn't choose that path, but we won't force him to join the guard. We are only insisting he stay in Volterra until we determine that he is not a risk. Surely you understand."

I surely didn't understand.

"What about him coming home with us? There are plenty of us to watch over him."

"Hmmm… it's interesting you say that when not an hour ago you were telling me you didn't control him. And after seeing what he can do, I don't think that you could control him if you needed to. If it weren't for Bella, we wouldn't even know if he was in the room with us or not, and if he decided to incapacitate all of you, you could hardly stop him."

"Fred would like to speak for himself," Edward announced, "but he needs to be safe to do that. Aro?"

"Of course, my dear boy. Come out, come out wherever you are! No one will harm you." The look he gave Jane caused her to cower a bit as she nodded in submission to her master.

It was obvious when Fred reappeared because all eyes were on him. Gone was his bravado, replaced with a much more humble spirit. Aro was probably pleased at this change in demeanor, but I knew it had little to do with Aro and a lot to do with the rejection of a certain female vampire.

Fred cleared his throat unnecessarily; I was pretty sure vampires didn't get gunk in their throats, and he already had everyone's undivided attention. "Today hasn't gone at all like I planned it, to say the least. I wanted to stay in control, like Carlisle's been teaching me. I know I've come a long way, but after today, I see I still have a long way to go.

"I'll admit, I wanted revenge on the four guard members who killed my friend, Bree, but I wasn't planning to actually take revenge… I mean, at least not today… But I let my anger get away from me, and hurt people I care about, and for that, I must apologize."

Fred looked longingly at the fair Amanda, who crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. Fred's head dropped a little further.

"You loved this Bree," Marcus said completely out of the blue. "You thought of her as a sister. When you speak of her, I can see your aura change."

Fred tilted his head as he regarded Marcus. "Yes, that's true. The sister part, I mean. I'll have to take your word about the aura thing…"

"I see strong tentacles of hate directed especially at Jane, but also toward Felix, Demetri, and to a lesser extent, Alec. These are the four who killed your Bree?"

"Yes," Fred hissed bitterly. "She wasn't even involved in the fight. She was just there looking for her mate. The Cullens tried to offer her immunity, but Jane wouldn't allow it."

"Is this true, Jane?" Marcus asked her point blank.

"She was part of the newborn army. Carlisle had no business offering her anything! She was a liability," Jane told Marcus, but her eyes had shifted to look at Aro.

I didn't have to be a mind-reader to know Jane was confirming what Edward had plucked from her thoughts after the battle. Her mission had been two-fold: Dispose of the newborn army, but do so only after some or all of the Cullens had been destroyed during the fight. Bree knew this, making her a threat to the Volturi. It had nothing to do with armies or violating laws and everything to do with maintaining power and image.

"I see…" Marcus added. I think he really did see.

Aro quickly changed the subject. "So, Fred, you've heard your options. Have you made a choice?"

"If it's OK with you, I'd like to take a little time to talk about this with my family. I mean, this is my entire future here, so… yeah…" Fred trailed off.

"Take whatever time you need," Aro said happily.

"I'm sorry to bring this up again, since you already said 'no,' but is there any way I can go back to Forks with the Cullens?" Fred asked apprehensively.

"I'm afraid not. The three of us are in agreement about that."

"I've changed my vote," Marcus blurted. Gasps followed from all around the room. "In light of what we've just learned, Fred's previous actions against Jane and the others is understandable. I don't agree with his methodology, but I now know why he did it. I don't believe he needs to be confined to Volterra. I think it will only make matters worse."

"I disagree!" Caius shouted. "If anything, he is even more of a liability than we'd originally thought. Now that we know he holds a grudge against members of our guard, he truly cannot be trusted. As the saying goes, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer!"

"I don't think he's our friend or our enemy," Marcus argued.

"If he's not our friend, how can he be anything but our enemy?" Caius bellowed.

"Brothers, please, let us discuss these matters amongst ourselves," Aro cautioned. "Carlisle, you and your coven may take your leave. And let it be known that no one is to harm any of the Cullens. Especially not Fred."

"Or Bella," Edward added.

"Bella is already under my strictest protection. That has not changed."

"Thank you," I whispered. While I reviled Aro, I really did appreciate knowing that I was as safe as I could be under the circumstances. I'm sure Edward felt the same, although I knew he wouldn't be taking his guard down anytime soon. Honestly, I'm not sure he'd ever taken it down since the day we met, so he certainly wasn't going to start slacking off now.

We walked back to our suite of rooms in silence. We had a lot to think about and even more to talk about. Carlisle ushered us into the parlor where it seemed a lifetime ago that Edward had played the piano a few hours earlier.

After Edward and Alice confirmed that the walls didn't have ears, sofas and chairs were moved so we could sit in a big circle. It wasn't quite like the family meetings back home, where we all sat around the table, but it would have to do. Alice pulled a small chair up in front of where she sat on the sofa so she could rest her feet on it, which I only noticed because she was usually a feet-tucker-inner, not a leg-stretcher-outer.

"Well, that was fun," Alice began.

"Yeah, remind me again why we don't live here, because I could really get used to this 'party all the time' atmosphere," Rosalie snarked.

Fred sighed. "Before we get started, I just want to tell you guys I'm sorry. It wasn't until Amanda verbally spanked me that I realized how much I was screwing up everything."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about what she said to you, man," Emmett said, wiping at the back of his neck. "That was harsh."

"I guess I deserved it."

"Ya think?" Rose snipped.

"Alright, everyone. Enough. There will be time to rehash all of this later," Carlisle interrupted. I could tell he was getting agitated and tense. Esme stroked his arm lovingly, causing him to visibly calm. He smiled at her before he continued. "What I meant to say is that we need to focus on what we're going to do next."

"Can they really make me stay?" Fred asked innocently.

Carlisle hedged. "Well, yes and no. They won't make you stay, exactly, but since they consider you a risk, they can and will make sure you don't leave, either."

"Oh…" The gravity of the situation seemed to be hitting Fred all of a sudden. The mood in the room was heavy.

"So, what are we going to do?" Esme asked.

"I'll tell you what _you're_ going to do," Fred said quietly, but decisively. "You're going to go back to Forks and not worry about me. I've more or less made my bed here…"

"Fred… son, I can't walk away from you like that," Esme sighed softly. "None of us will abandon you to whatever fate the Volturi decide. We'll all be part of this together, because that's how families are."

"But we already talked about this. I don't want any of you to suffer on my account. If they demand that I stay, I will, but I'm not going to condemn any of you to this hell hole."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Carlisle warned. "We need to think this through and offer some options to Aro. Right now, he's settled on Fred staying in Volterra. Edward, what were you able to glean from Marcus?"

"He really did change his mind once he understood that Fred was reacting to the loss of a loved one," Edward explained. "And while I don't condone playing on the sympathies of someone who's experienced great loss, I do have to say that he is willing to advocate for Fred to some extent."

"But to what extent? Alice? Can you give us anything?" Carlisle asked.

"A little… when Marcus changed his mind, almost every possible outcome changed with it. Don't freak out, but before that, most scenarios ended with Fred in a bonfire… or wishing he was."

"Wishing I was? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Believe it or not, there are fates worse than death. For example, if you refused to join the guard, Caius was thinking about letting Alec and Jane play some little revenge games with you. Let's just say it wasn't pretty," Alice grimaced.

"But that's changed now?" Emmett asked, obviously concerned.

"There are still some potentially ugly outcomes, but more of them are favorable."

"What choices do I have that will work the best?" Fred asked.

"OK, guys, I'm not a Magic 8 Ball here!" Alice protested. "I can only give you so much. There are too many variables still, and not enough decisions have been made. All I can tell you for sure is that Marcus changing his vote is a good thing for you. How it plays out remains to be seen."

"I'm going to join the guard," Fred announced suddenly.

Choruses of voices rang out: "You can't be serious!" "Did he just say what I think he just said?" "No, I won't let you do that…" "Fred, you need to give this more thought…"

"Alice? Anything?" Fred asked.

Everyone focused on her. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fred, you can't pretend to make a decision. What do you think? That you can fake-out my gift? Yeah, because it doesn't know the difference between a real decision and bogus one."

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time…" Fred defended himself rather meekly. If the situation wasn't so serious, it would have been funny.

But it was serious and we were getting nowhere. "OK, as I see it, Fred has maybe three choices," I began, ticking them off on my fingers as I summarized. "He can stay and join the guard, he can stay and not join the guard, or he can try to get Aro and/or Caius to change their minds and let him go home with us. Am I missing something?"

"I believe Alice mentioned something about a bonfire…" Jasper added. The protests started immediately. He held up his hands in self-defense. "Hey, I'm not saying it's a good option, I'm just saying it was something that could happen. If Alice saw it, we need to find ways to avoid that particular outcome. Jeez, people. Take a pill!"

Alice ran her hand through Jasper's hair. They shared a sweet smile before Alice got that slightly glazed and distant look in her eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Somebody's coming."

**-…-**

A/N: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

I wasn't expecting to get another chapter out so quickly, but I ended up with more time than I'd expected (read: my plans getting cancelled equals chapters for you!)

We're entering American Idol season, and for the past 6-7 years, I've been writing a review/critique of the performances each week. If you'd like to receive it, send me your e-mail address. What started as a fun thing for two friends now goes out to a couple hundred people.

A long time ago, in what seems like a past life, I was a singer. I still sing, mind you, but it's really true that if you don't use it, you lose it. What I'm trying to say here is: I coulda been a contendah! LOL


	35. Chapter 35

"Who is it, Alice?" I asked, alarmed as my mind ran down the list of possibilities.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Edward cooed soothingly.

Before he could tell me who it was, there was a knock. Edward nodded to Carlisle, who opened the door to Amanda.

"Why, hello!" Carlisle greeted her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Fred."

"Oh… well then," Carlisle mumbled, "won't you come in?"

"Thank you," she answered politely.

Fred stood and stammered as he tried to put a sentence together. "I… why are… I thought… you said"

"I know what I said," Amanda began, still sounding angry. "And I meant most of it, but not the part about not wanting to see you again."

"I don't understand… you sounded so…"

"Furious?" she filled in the blank. "Yes, I was furious. I'm still furious!"

Fred winced. "I didn't mean to hurt you… I couldn't control it."

"You think I'm upset about that? I couldn't care less about being pinned to the ground, although it was really rather unpleasant," she said as an aside. "If you think that's why I'm mad, maybe we really don't have anything to talk about after all."

She turned to leave, but Fred interrupted her. "Wait! Please don't go."

She faced us again and crossed her arms over her chest. "Give me one good reason to stay."

"I don't know what to tell you… I just don't want you to go."

"Is that supposed to be my one good reason?" she snapped.

Fred looked befuddled. "I'm sorry?"

"Is that a question?" Amanda asked incredulously. "Don't you know if you're sorry or not?"

"I know I'm sorry… I'm just not sure why."

Emmett slapped his palm against his own forehead. Even HE knew that was a dumb thing to say.

"Well, if you manage to figure it out, you let me know," Amanda huffed.

"Wait," Jasper intervened both verbally and with a soothing wave. "I can feel that you both have strong feelings for each other. And Amanda, I know it's hard for you to believe that Fred could possibly be just that obtuse, but I can feel how confused he is. As much as explaining yourself goes against the Women's Rules, and in this case I have to agree that he probably SHOULD know why you're so upset, he really doesn't get it."

"And I can guarantee he has NO experience whatsoever in dealing with women," Rosalie added with an eye roll for good measure.

"Thanks for all the support, guys," Fred muttered under his breath.

"Be nice to them," Amanda snipped. "They're the only reason I'm still standing here."

Fred seemed so helpless. "Look, I know I screwed up today. Carlisle's been trying to teach me to keep my mouth shut until I know what's going on, but it's really hard for me. I've always been a spontaneous kind of guy."

"If you'd made Caius any angrier, you would have been a spontaneous _combustion_ kind of guy! And asking Aro if he was threatening you? Are you insane? Of course he was threatening you! Even the rats in the walls knew he was threatening you! What did you think you were going to accomplish by calling him out on it? You're lucky he found it amusing. That's the only reason you're still in one piece!"

"So… you're mad at me because I almost got myself killed?" Fred looked genuinely puzzled.

"Of course! Did we not tell each other just this morning that we felt a strong connection? Was that my imagination?"

"No… no, that was real," Fred whispered, seeming a little shy about her declaration in front of the entire family.

"Well, then naturally I was furious! You almost threw your life away! We haven't even had an opportunity to explore the possibilities and you were ready to flush it all! And for what?" she demanded.

Fred looked down, obviously hurt by her words. She seemed to realize what she had said and reconsidered. "Fred, I know your friend, Bree, was very important to you. I'm not trying to say you don't have good reason for wanting revenge, but you're not going to get it this way. All you're going to get is a trial by fire."

She moved close enough to tenderly lay her hand on his shoulder. "And I don't want to see that happen to you. Yes, what Jane did was wrong, but getting yourself killed isn't going to make it right."

"Why did you say you didn't want to see me again?" Fred almost whimpered, still looking at his feet as they nervously shuffled.

"You kept looking at me and Jane caught it. I was trying to get you to stop, but you kept sneaking peeks in my direction. I know you don't have experience with the Volturi, but if Jane thought you and I were connected, she would undoubtedly use it against us. I've seen it before. I had to make it clear that we were not together."

"Amanda is right," Carlisle agreed. "I hadn't thought to say something beforehand, and then when I noticed you two making eye contact, it was too late to say anything."

"If they wanted to torture me, that's one thing," Emmett thought aloud, "but if they hurt my Rosie, I'd do whatever it took to make them stop."

Everyone in the room seemed to be contemplating that, or maybe it was just me, but I would do anything to save Edward, even though he would be devastated if I sacrificed myself for him.

Darker thoughts started nestling into my brain. If something happened to me, Edward would undoubtedly die with me. He'd already tried it once. I'd like to think he would confirm my death if there was a second time, but if I was no longer of this world, he wouldn't be either.

So, in reality, I couldn't sacrifice my life to save him because doing so would most assuredly kill him. But if I didn't sacrifice myself, and he was killed, I could never live with myself. There was only one solution: If we were going to die, we'd just have to die together.

"Bella, are you with us?" Carlisle asked.

I jumped a bit at the sound of my name and gave my head a little shake, bringing myself back to the moment.

"Wow, where were you?" Emmett asked.

"Let's just say I hope vampires can't go into shock because I was actually contemplating something you said," I snarked back at him.

"Something Emmett said? Really? I didn't know he ever said anything worth thinking about," Jasper teased.

I heard the thud before I realized that Emmett had just thrown his shoe at Jasper.

"Boys!" Esme threatened.

"Are they always like this?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, those two are terrible," Fred answered. "I can't believe how immature they are sometimes."

There was silence for about three seconds before the room erupted with laughter. Fred was trying to shut us up and Amanda looked quite confused.

"Someone want to let me in on the joke?"

"Oh, Amanda, once you get to know Fred a little better, you'll understand," Alice chortled as Fred glared at her.

"You're one of us, man," Emmett said as he threw his bulky arm over Jasper's shoulders. "The first step is admitting it. You see, Mandy… may I call you Mandy?"

"No."

"Oh, sorry," he continued. "So, as I was saying, Mandy, I'm the most fun, followed by Fred, Jasper, Carlisle, that fichus tree over there, a bag of dirt, IRS regulations, and then Edward."

I heard two thuds and realized Edward's shoes were now on the floor by Emmett's feet.

"Edward is fun!" I blurted out.

Again, the room erupted with laughter.

"Bella, you're very sweet," Rosalie cooed, "but I've known Edward about 70 years longer than you have and I can tell you he is unquestionably the least fun vampire I've ever met."

"What about Jane?" I challenged.

"Even Jane laughs once in a while," Rose answered. "Granted, it's maniacal laughter, but I'm sure in the right setting…"

"Don't pay any attention to them, Bella," Esme piped up. "I think Edward is very fun."

"Humor only a mother could love," Alice teased.

"Sure, Edward is a fun guy. He sort of grows on you!" Emmett guffawed. "Get it? Fun guy? Fungi? He grows on you? Get it?"

"This is all starting to make more sense now," Amanda said with a smile playing on her lips. "I thought the level of tomfoolery going on in the Great Hall was some sort of fluke, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Did you hear that?" Edward suddenly exclaimed to Fred. "She said 'tomfoolery'! HA!"

"Yeah, well, it's cute when she says it," Fred smirked.

"Bella, can I borrow your shoe?" Edward asked dryly.

"See? That was funny!" I exclaimed over the commotion in the room.

"Funny and fun aren't the same thing," Emmett explained.

"OK! Time out! Everyone settle down!" Carlisle shouted.

"Wow, you have a whole group of comedians here. Never a dull moment!" Amanda chuckled good-naturedly. "I don't know if I could get used to this or not!"

"I'm sure you'd get accustomed to it pretty quickly," Carlisle assured her. "Besides, it's not always like this."

"Yes, sometimes it's much worse," Esme snickered

"I can only imagine…"

"I don't know that you can," Carlisle quipped, "but we wouldn't give them up for anything."

"Just yesterday you said you would trade Emmett for Felix," Edward joked. "What happened to that deal?"

"OK, Eddie. That was below the belt," Emmett growled. "Take it back."

"Just being 'fun,' Emmy," Edward made quote marks in the air.

"That was only two-thirds of fun," Emmett hissed. "F. U."

"Alright, boys, that's quite enough," Esme stepped between them. "Emmett, you don't need to get so upset over nothing. Of course we're not trading you in. I may need to wash your mouth out with soap, however."

"Or milk!" Alice added gleefully.

"And Edward, I expect better manners from you. Why do you have to pester your brother? Just because you can read his mind doesn't give you the right to use it to your advantage."

Esme was such a mom.

"What's the point of reading minds if you can't use the information for evil?" Edward laughed.

"You, mister, can be traded," Esme shook her finger at him. "We could take Heidi home with us just as easily."

"Bella might not even notice the difference," Emmett murmured.

"Now THAT was below the belt," Edward fumed.

"So what? You're not using anything down there anyway," Emmett shot back.

"Applying that logic, I should hit you in the head."

"Welcome to the Cullen family, Amanda," Alice giggled, pulling the chair next to her that she had been using as a footrest and patting it. That was why she had an extra chair. I KNEW she was a leg-tucker-inner!

Inviting Amanda into the circle seemed to bring everyone's attention back on topic, although I did see Emmett and Edward shooting glares at each other. The whole "if looks could kill" thing was sort of wasted on vampires, however.

"Would you believe me if I said we were practicing for a play?" Fred asked her.

Rosalie interrupted. "Oh, Fred, you watch too many sitcoms."

Shockingly, Amanda was smiling more than she had since she'd arrived.

Fred gaped at her expression. "What?"

"This really is a family. Some of the others were mocking the use of that term, but you are no more a coven than the Mousekateers!"

"I don't know… Annette had awfully fair skin for someone with such dark hair," Alice said conspiratorially.

"You are aware that show was in black and white…" Rose snarked.

Alice just rolled her eyes.

"OK, could we just TRY to concentrate for a few minutes?" Carlisle asked with obvious frustration. "I'm glad you're all having fun, but we still have Fred's fate to think about here."

"Fred's fate?" Amanda asked almost like she was shocked. "You all heard what Aro had to say. Obviously Fred will join the guard and stay here. What other choice does he have?"

"I was hoping to leave here with my family," Fred answered softly, "and I was hoping you would come with us."

"Fred, this is my home now," Amanda said, taking his hand in hers. "I'm a member of the guard. I finally feel protected and like I belong to something bigger than myself. I know you understand that part, at least." She looked around the circle, acknowledging each of us in turn.

Fred cocked his head at her. "You want to stay _here_?"

She laughed. "You say that like it's the worst place on the planet!"

"Well, several of my family members have used the term 'hell hole…'"

"I guess I understand that, considering their experiences," Amanda nodded, "but it hasn't been like that for me. This place is my refuge. Nobody here tries to hurt me, and we've found a way to use my gift to benefit the entire community. This is where I belong."

"So, if I go back home with my family, you wouldn't come with me?"

She pursed her lips, clearly giving the question its due consideration. "I don't know what I would do. I didn't know until just now that I might have to make that decision."

"If I may," Carlisle interrupted, "how are the Volturi utilizing your gift in such a way that you need to stay here?

"Aro wanted to tell you himself. He's rather proud of it actually, and if I'm not mistaken, I think he's doing it partly to impress you, Carlisle."

"I doubt that," Carlisle said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You might be very surprised. It's obvious to all of us that he holds you in high esteem. He may not understand you, and he may occasionally get paranoid delusions that you're as power-hungry as he is, but he most definitely respects you."

Carlisle pondered this information before Amanda spoke again.

"Let's see… where do I start? Before I came here, humans were brought in for 'tours' and were never seen again. That worked until global communications became so easy and instant. In recent years, a lot more people have been snooping around, looking for missing loved ones whose last tweet or Facebook post was something like 'Taking tour of creepy old castle with hot tour guide in Volterra.' When these stories started piling up, it left less and less room for plausible deniability."

"I wondered how they got by with it for as long as they did," Jasper mused.

"When they used to pluck a few people from here and there, all around the world, nobody connected them," Carlisle answered, "but now you can't do that without somebody knowing."

"We kept doing the tours, but with a twist: We were showing a documentary as part of the tour… stuff about the old vampire myths. People would sit in a theater, the movie would start, Alec would put them into a hazy fog, everyone would lose a few pints, I would touch them, then we would say there was a gas leak that was causing them to hallucinate, and we evacuated them."

"That sounds like a pretty sweet plan," Emmett said with appreciation. "Why'd you give that up?"

"Well, some of the people I touched had serious illnesses, so it didn't take long before I was completely wiped out. We lost a couple of people to blood loss the first couple of times because I couldn't heal them. We tried smaller groups, and then having them fill out forms with their medical information… all kinds of variables, but people often don't know they even have anything, or they just lie."

"Why would someone lie about something like that to go on a tour?" Emmett asked.

"See, some of the people in those first groups knew they were sick and they came out of the tour completely healed. If you think THAT news didn't spread like wildfire… Then they heard we were turning away people who were sick, so…"

"The sick must have converged on this place," Carlisle nodded. "Desperate people will try just about anything, even if it's only a rumor."

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. We actually had to stop giving tours. Aro wasn't very happy that the 'perfect plan' backfired so thoroughly."

"I'm sure that's the understatement of the decade," Esme added. "How did the Volturi get… ummm… food after that?"

"Every day, Aro sent groups of two or three out, all over the world. They had a day to eat and find an offering to bring back to the royal family."

My stomach lurched.

"Sorry, Bella. I know this is all pretty gruesome and we're talking about it in such a clinical way," Amanda said.

"I've learned to deal with some of it. It was just the word 'offering' that got to me."

Amanda sighed. "Yes, I think 'victim' is a better word, but I don't make the rules around here. At least I didn't have to go, since I can't eat humans anyway. But, the trips didn't work out, mostly because Cauis didn't like certain members of the guard to be gone, even for a day. He felt it left them too vulnerable, especially if someone figured out the schedule and knew when to strike."

"So, if you don't do tours and you aren't going out to eat…?" Edward trailed off.

"Can't you read it in my mind?" Amanda teased.

"Now that you're thinking about it, I can," he replied a little too grimly.

"OK, then for the rest of you, Volterra has always housed a few humans who want to become one of us. Most of them don't make it. Now they have another choice besides death…"

"The people who live here are also your food source?" I exclaimed. My mind immediately went to Felka. Was she basically nothing more than a drinking fountain?

"It's not perfect, but everyone is here of their own free will… except…"

"…except the ones who accidentally learn about the existence of vampires…" Alice continued Amanda's sentence.

"Yes, like I said, it's not perfect. Those people would have been killed immediately under the old system. Now they're offered a choice."

"Be a food source or die. Wow. Great choice," I scoffed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Amanda replied gently. "We are very careful to be humane about it. There is no pain and no fear involved. On a prearranged schedule, they're given a sedative at night, one vampire takes a couple pints of their blood, I touch them and repeat the process until the drinker is full. The human wakes up the next morning like nothing happened."

"But they're prisoners here," I shot back.

"Yes, in a way, but even that isn't like it used to be. Most of the tribs don't even live in the castle. They can live in the city, get married, have children, work or go to school, and they can even travel with prior approval. And they can never get sick as long as I'm there to heal them. They still have the option of dying, if they want to, but so far, nobody has taken that option."

"OK, first, what does 'trib' mean?" Emmett asked. I'm sure that question actually WAS on everyone's mind.

"It's short for 'tribute,' because their blood is like a payment. Of course, that was Caius' idea. He absolutely hates being beholden to a bunch of humans. I prefer to think of it as 'contributor.' Some of the older vampires who don't like this change call them 'tributaries,' like rivers."

"OK, that's kinda gross, but next question," Emmett continued. "If they get married and have kids, aren't they damming their families to the same fate?"

"People are allowed to tell their spouses if they want, but then the spouse becomes a trib, too. Telling children is expressly forbidden. In fact, telling anyone other than a spouse or fiancé is forbidden, punishable by death."

"So, hypothetical situation," I started. "I'm a trib, I'm engaged, and I decide to tell my future husband about this whole arrangement. He wants nothing to do with it, so he breaks the engagement. Now he's stuck here?"

Amanda sighed. "Yes, that is one potential drawback. Not just with fiancés, but with married couples, too. Once you know, you can't leave."

"I bet that cuts down on the divorce rate," Jasper mumbled.

"Well, we haven't been doing this long enough to know all the possibilities, but tribs can divorce, so if you don't want to see your ex for the rest of your life, you may not want to say anything."

"Has anyone told their spouse?" Carlisle asked.

"Most aren't married, but no, so far nobody has told a spouse. It's a huge secret to keep, but the consequences of telling it are even bigger."

"If you take blood in the middle of the night, aren't you worried someone is going to see you?" Rosalie asked.

"No, because the tribs come here for their 'treatment' at the 'clinic.' They all supposedly suffer from a rare form of porphyria and the only place it can be treated successfully is in Volterra."

Everyone snickered except Fred and me. Carlisle said, "Let me guess. That was Aro's idea."

"You are correct, sir," Amanda chuckled.

"Anyone want to share? What's so funny?" Fred asked as I nodded along. I hated not knowing what was going on.

Edward took my hand. "Sorry, love. Porphyria is also known as the 'vampire disease' because it makes the skin light-sensitive and some people report that drinking blood helps with the symptoms, although there's no real science behind that claim."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course Aro would think that was hilarious."

"So, you have a pretend clinic treating a disease that doesn't exist. Doesn't anyone question any of this?" Jasper asked.

"Actually, we're a legitimate clinic. We have porphyria specialists and everything. Or I should say we have the proper credentials… enough to satisfy the outside world. We've done studies and even had our research published in medical journals!"

"I read those. Are you telling me Dr. Vinello isn't real?" Carlisle asked.

Amanda laughed again. "Another of Aro's jokes. Vinello is short for indovinello…"

"Aha…" he nodded knowingly before looking around at a lot of confused faces. "Riddle. It means riddle. I've got to hand it to Aro. He certainly can be clever."

"Seems you've thought of everything, Amanda," Alice piped up. "Except what happens when someone decides to go to the media?"

"Do you see that happening?" Amanda asked with alarm.

"I see it as one of many possibilities. Until someone actually decides, I can't really know."

"We do the best we can with that one, but it is a risk. Aro holds weekly audience with all the tribs, where he shakes their hands. If they've been thinking about breaking their silence, he would know. I'm not sure how he differentiates between random thoughts and actual plans, but so far, we haven't had those problems," Amanda explained.

"So, what's in it for you?" Jasper asked Amanda point-blank. She looked a little taken aback, and Fred actually growled a bit.

"I mean, I see how it benefits the Volturi, but you don't drink from these people," Jasper continued, undaunted. "What do you get from your role in this whole charade?"

She gave his question some thought.

"You don't have to answer that, you know," Fred huffed. He was talking to Amanda, but his eyes were narrowed at Jasper.

"No, I want to. What do I get? I get peace of mind. I don't have to trick anyone into anything anymore. I'm not hurting anyone, and people who would have died before now get to live out reasonably normal lives. And I know everyone I touch is healthy. They just need their blood restored, which doesn't take much out of me.

"I used to have visions of eradicating some disease, or healing all the sick children in the world, but that's just not possible. I'm not the world's savior. What I _can_ do is keep the tribs and their families healthy, and I can sit here and look you in the eye and tell you that not one person has died or even suffered to feed this community since we started the Tribute Program. That's what's in it for me."

Jasper slowly smiled. "OK, then. Fred, for what it's worth, I approve."

Fred may or may not have heard him. He was too busy beaming at Amanda.

"Can I ask a question?" I said meekly.

"Anything," Amanda responded.

"What about Felka? She doesn't seem very happy…"

"She's not, which is one of the reasons she's living in the castle. I should probably let her tell her own story, but basically vampires killed her family while she was at college. Of course, she didn't know who had done it until her brother showed up about a year later and told her who they were and what he now was.

"She started researching a little too specifically, which triggered alerts on our network, so she was brought here. She doesn't want to be a vampire, she doesn't want to die, but she doesn't want to be a trib, either. Right now, those are the only three choices."

"But she said she was trying to impress Aro…" I recalled.

"Yes, because she wants something unprecedented. She wants to go back to Poland. She has a fiancé, but she doesn't want to bring him here. She's willing to come back as often as necessary for Aro to assess that she hasn't told anyone, and even pay her tribute at that time, but so far, Aro is unconvinced and Caius is vehemently opposed."

"So, that's why she's jealous of my freedom…" I said, the puzzle pieces falling together. "I'm a human who knows, but I'm allowed to live outside Volterra."

"Yes, and she sees your case as precedent-setting. Did I mention she was in law school?"

"Law school? That shy little girl is a lawyer?" Edward asked skeptically.

"Don't let her demeanor fool you. She is timid here because she doesn't want to cross anyone. And probably because she's unhappy, but when she's speaking in her own defense, watch out!"

"I'd be unhappy, too, if I was ripped out of my life and forced to be a blood donor," I bristled.

"Oh, she's not a blood donor, or at least not yet," Amanda clarified. "We don't force anyone to give their blood until they've had a chance to acclimate and decide how they want to proceed."

"Excuse me for being skeptical about this, but I can't imagine Aro and especially Caius allowing humans to make all these decisions for themselves. It's not like them at all," Carlisle said.

"Oh, Aro hates it. Caius would almost rather starve, but that is what it comes down to. Gathering food and staying anonymous at the same time has become virtually impossible. Caius wanted to have what would essentially be blood slaves living in barracks who exist only to serve us. Many of the others agreed, but I refused to participate. I swear sometimes I'm the only one here with an ounce of humanity left in them. Anyway, Aro gives me a lot of latitude with the program because it's working and so far, we haven't had any negative side effects."

"I'll admit, when you first brought this up, I was a bit outraged," I confessed, "but given the choice between death and getting to live a normal, albeit modified life is definitely an improvement. But back to Felka… what if Aro refuses to let her leave and she still doesn't want to be a donor?"

Amanda sighed. "At some point, she'll have to make a decision – donate or die. If it comes down to that, I'll just have to handle it the best I can."

"Can I talk to her about it?" I asked.

"Now that you know, certainly you can talk to her. I'll let her know that I've told you everything and that she is free to discuss it with you," Amanda proffered.

"I'd like that. Thank you," I replied.

"Well, I'm sure you I've given you a lot to think about. Fred, I hope you see that I need to stay here. Not only that, but I want to stay here. It's my home. I know you don't feel the same, so I understand if you decide to leave…" Amanda said softly.

Fred, who had been silent for a long time, finally found his voice. "I don't even know if Aro will let me leave, so it may not even be an option."

"True," Amanda answered, "but if you are going to stay here, with me, it has to be because you want to, not because you're being forced into it."

Fred took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I want nothing more. I just wish I didn't have to stay here to be with you."

"I know, but that's how it is. I guess you have a lot to think about…"

With that, Amanda stood and took her leave.

**-…-**

A/N: It's been a while since I last updated. Let's see… I had the plague for two weeks, then went to Vegas for four days (fun!), and had American Idol reviews three days this week. Somewhere in there my nonprofit published a 12-page newsletter that I had to contribute to and edit. So, all my writing is done, but my house is a disaster area!

Please review. I do love to hear what you have to say.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

My dinner was served promptly at 6:30. Felka seemed especially nervous, and I had to assume she was apprehensive about talking to me. I really didn't know her, so I probably had no right to pry into her life, but when had that stopped me before?

"So, I hear you're a lawyer," I said to break the ice before it got too thick.

"Not quite yet," she all but whispered. "I have five more months of school and lots of exams that I'll probably never get to take…"

"Oh… I didn't know," I murmured as I straightened nonexistent wrinkles from the tablecloth. "I didn't know any of it and I'm just so, so terribly sorry for your loss…"

She gently held up a hand. "Please, I'd rather not talk about it, if that's OK with you."

"Of course! I'm sorry… it's just if you wanted to talk, I thought I'd leave that door open," I offered.

"Thank you, Bella. I don't mean to be harsh. It's just too soon."

"I'd like to say I understand, but there's no way I could possibly understand what you've gone through… what you're still going through…" I trailed off.

"Thank you." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Those vampires… the ones who killed my family, they took everything from me… my past, my present, and now my future. It's just too much."

I could feel my eyes stinging as well. I reached out to hold her hand and she pulled me into a tight hug, beginning to sob as I tried to soothe her. We stood like that for quite a while, and I knew I would have stayed there for hours if that was what she needed.

As Felka began to calm, she started apologizing for having a melt-down and allowing my dinner to get cold and she may have apologized for global climate change before I stopped her. The last thing she needed was a side of guilt added to her already-overloaded plate.

I'd assumed the subject was closed, but she continued. "You must understand… my brother, he didn't know… he didn't know there was a law against telling. He wanted me to change… to be like him so we could be a family again… forever. Honestly, I thought he was crazy. I mean, the first thing he did when I opened the door was douse me with a quart of milk. Who does that?"

"I'm told milk is quite the vampire repellant. Much better than holy water and crosses…" I explained.

"He said it was the only way he would remember not to bite me. The only reason I believed him at all was his red eyes. They were so strange. I knew they weren't contacts. Besides, he would never wear red contacts. He was always such a sensible young man…"

She started to cry again.

"You don't have to talk about this, you know…" I quietly reminded her.

"I know… it's just… now that I've started, I can't seem to stop. Is it OK? I can go if you want me to."

"No! Of course not. Please, continue," I encouraged as I led her to sit on the sofa with me.

"Thank you, Bella. You're very kind. You remind me so much of my little sister…"

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me. She wept for a while longer.

As I held her, I started to understand why I felt such a bond with her from the very beginning. We were opposite sides of the same coin; my side just turned out to be much shinier than hers. It could have gone the other way for me if things had been slightly different, like if the Volturi network had flagged _my_ research on vampires. I could only guess they didn't because I was looking up terms like 'Cold Ones' and other native legends.

Or maybe it was just that my computer was so ridiculously old and slow, nobody would think to classify what I was doing as active research. If that was the case, I would have to kiss my computer when I got back home.

I had something else Felka didn't; I had a gift… this strange ability that caught Aro's attention. It may have kept me alive, but I would never have been allowed to leave this place.

Would Edward have come for me? We barely knew each other back then. Would he have uprooted his entire life and moved to Volterra at that point?

Thankfully, Felka rescued me from my dark thoughts.

"You would have liked my family…," she began. "They were good people. I loved them all so much, and they loved me. We lived in the country on a small farm. We never had much money, but we were very happy together. When it came time for me to attend university, my father got a job at the mill and my mother taught piano. My sisters babysat, and my brothers helped run the farm and one also worked in a restaurant."

"And they did all of this to help you through school?" I asked.

"Yes. In Poland, university is much less expensive than in your country, but it was still a hardship. Once I was ready to practice law, I would support my two oldest brothers in university, then they would support our sisters and so on until we had all graduated."

"Wow. Things aren't like that in America at all. We just try to get ourselves through school. Some kids are lucky enough to have parents who can afford to help, but most of us rely on scholarships and loans and coffee shop jobs."

"My father insisted that I focus on my studies, so I didn't have a job... my contribution was supposed to come later, but now…" she whispered, trailing off.

"Amanda said you have a fiancé?" I asked, hoping a change in subject might be welcomed.

"Yes, or at least I _had_ a fiancé. I broke my engagement with Bohdan." She smiled sadly when she said his name, and I knew from the look on her face that she still loved him. "He thinks I'm here for medical treatments, and he wants to move here. He still wants to marry me, but I love him too much to let him live like this. He has his family and I don't want him to lose them because of me. He deserves better…"

"It sounds like he's very much in love with you. Have you considered letting him decide what's better for him?" I asked, of course thinking about Edward's categorical decision to leave me because he thought he knew what was best.

"Bella, for all intents and purposes, I'm a bondservant here. A slave, really. I will never be more than that. Yes, I can have a husband and children and a house, but I will never have my freedom. I suppose if I genuinely _had_ a disease that forced me to stay here, it would be different, but I don't, and I can't lie to Bohdan for the rest of our lives; then again, I could never tell him and subject him to this, either. It's better if he just moves on and forgets about me."

Those words stung. I tried not to react, but I did feel the need to tell her how Edward tried to make that choice for us and how it nearly killed us both.

"Please, Felka, for both your sakes, please give this some more consideration. Talk to him and really listen to what he's telling you. I bet he's absolutely miserable without you. Are you sure that's a better life for him? Shouldn't he get some say in his own future?"

She nodded, the tears returning. "I'll try. I guess I haven't really listened to him…"

I put my arm around her shoulder, trying to offer some support. I didn't want to be too tough on her, but I also felt she was making a mammoth mistake that she would regret forever. I didn't know what else to say, so I just said nothing. But I was devising a way to help her. I had to try.

**-…-**

"You've been really quiet tonight," Edward observed as he ran his hand up and down my arm. I tightened my grip around his waist and sighed, still not feeling ready to talk. Sitting in Edward's lap in front of a roaring fire was just this side of heaven, and I didn't want to come crashing down to earth quite yet.

Truth be told, my day had been spent thinking and planning and revising and thinking some more. I would need Carlisle's help. And Edward's. And most importantly, Alice's.

There was a knock at the door.

"Go away," Edward yelled good-naturedly.

"Come in" I said at the same time. Apparently Alice had collected Carlisle on her way to answer my unspoken request for assistance.

"So, you want to help Felka. That's very noble of you, but I don't see how we're going to sway Aro, and especially not Caius. He's absolutely dead-set against her leaving," Alice frowned.

"Is that what the silence has been about?" Edward asked me.

I nodded. "I really don't know if I can help her, but I know I have to try. I can't make her situation worse, that's for sure."

"Maybe not, but when you're bargaining with Aro, you have to have something to offer him. Something of at least equal or greater value than what he's giving you," Carlisle said rather grimly. "I don't like to think about what kind of exchange he would expect."

"If the price is too high, I'll just have to give up. I'm not going to sacrifice anyone else's freedom for hers. There would be no benefit in that. But there may be another angle."

"You might have something there," Alice admitted. "I don't know if it will work or not, but I could see Aro going for it, at least in theory. And yes, of course I'll help you."

"Do you know how aggravating it is that you can see Bella's future, but I can't read her mind?" Edward protested. "But now I've read yours, so I'm sort of caught up."

"OK, that still leaves me in the dark," Carlisle chuckled. "Anyone care to bring me in on the plan, since you thought I needed to be here?"

**-…-**

Arrangements were made for Edward, Carlisle and me to meet with Aro the next morning... alone.

According to Edward, I slept fitfully, which made sense considering I was playing out different versions of the meeting in my dreams. We'd requested an appointment with Aro because we knew he would be easier to convince than Caius, and because he still considered Carlisle a close and trusted friend. Trusted? Yes. Close? Not so much. But he didn't really need to know that.

In the morning, I didn't say anything to Felka about my plans when she brought my breakfast because I certainly didn't want to raise her hopes, but I couldn't help smiling like an idiot, either.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just happy today," I answered as nonchalantly as possible. Even I wasn't sure why I was sporting such a positive attitude. Aro could very well say 'no' and that would be the end of that, but I had to think we at least stood a chance.

"Well, whatever it is, I hope some of it rubs off on me," she giggled. "You know, it's odd, but telling you my story made me feel like some of the weight of it was lifted off my shoulders. I appreciate it, more than you know."

I took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "I was happy I could be there for you. Anytime you want to talk, even if you want to call me when I get home, or e-mail or whatever… and it doesn't have to be about vampire stuff, either."

"I'd like that," she said as she squeezed my hand in return.

"Bella, you need to hurry, love," Edward said as he emerged, freshly showered, from the bathroom. He wore slacks and an unbuttoned shirt, but his feet were bare and his hair was a tossed mess. He looked utterly sexy and adorable. Felka blushed and looked away, so I knew it wasn't just my biased opinion.

"Well, I must be going. Enjoy your breakfast, Bella," she said, still a little flustered. "Bye, Edward."

"Have a good day, Felka. Thanks for taking such good care of my Bella."

She nodded and smiled before pushing her rolling cart into the hallway.

I dug into my blueberry silver dollar pancakes like I hadn't eaten in days. I'm not sure why I was so ravenous all of a sudden, but after a small stack, orange juice and a tall glass of cold milk, to which Felka had attached a sticky note with a smiley face, I felt ready to face the world. If only it would be that easy.

**-…-**

Renata ushered us into a small, comfortable conference room. If I didn't know better, I would think we were in Class A office space instead of a cold, clammy dungeon. This room would rival anything they had in any high-rise in Seattle.

"I'll be right outside," Renata told Aro, however it was clear she was also telling us.

"Don't worry, my dear," Aro cooed back at her. "Carlisle is an old friend. Bella and Edward are my special guests. I do appreciate your concern, but it is wasted on our present company."

"Yes, master," she responded by rote as she slowly closed the door behind her.

"So, what brings you here today? I must say, I was delighted when I heard you wanted a private meeting, although I couldn't for the life of me guess the purpose of it," Aro began. Even though he was being exceptionally pleasant, I always felt like everything he said had a double meaning. An evil double meaning.

"I'd like to talk to you about Felka," I started. Aro had obviously expected Carlisle to speak first, and looked somewhat surprised and pleased at the same time that it was me instead.

"Ah, yes. Felka… the Polish girl. A sad story, really. I generally don't get too involved in human drama, but her story would break even the stoniest of hearts into pieces, wouldn't you agree?"

I nodded. "Yes, and that's why I wanted to speak to you."

"Why, my darling Bella, if you wanted to speak to me, all you had to do was ask! But let me guess… Carlisle is here because he knows me so well, and Edward is here to read my mind, but more importantly, to ensure your safety. Am I correct?"

I had to laugh. "Precisely so. Are you sure you can't read our minds from a distance?"

"Unfortunately, no… as much as I would like to do so, alas, I am relegated to skin-to-skin contact," Aro sighed. "Speaking of which, may I?"

He gestured to my hand. I peeked at Edward, who looked very tense, and then to Carlisle, who smiled and nodded. I gently placed my hand in Aro's. He closed his eyes as if to concentrate. Then he opened them and his stare seemed to almost burn holes through me. I was uncomfortable with the intensity, but I knew breaking his gaze would be a sign of weakness, so I forced myself to stare right back.

"Impressive!" he announced gleefully as he dropped my hand. "I get absolutely nothing from you, Bella! Oh, you are going to be one formidable vampire, when the time comes."

"I'm just hoping I don't trip and fall anymore," I laughed, trying to keep the atmosphere light. "I'd hate to be the first and only clumsy vampire."

"I doubt that will happen, my dear one," Aro tutted. "I'm sure you'll be as graceful as your namesake."

I blushed, and I felt ridiculous about it, especially since it was Aro handing out the flattery.

"So, you wish to discuss Felka," Aro said in a business-like tone. Now we were getting down to it. "I'm assuming, based on what I know of you, that you are here to plead her case. It's already been done, let me assure you, and the answer was and still is 'no.' Given that information, do you wish to continue?"

"Yes, actually, I do," I answered. He raised an eyebrow at me, but nodded his assent.

"As you know, Felka was in law school when her family was killed. She was only a few months away from earning her degree. Carlisle said you frequently hire human attorneys to handle Volturi business, but that they are never fully trusted. If you allowed her to return to Poland, she could complete her studies and be your legal counsel for matters all over the world, or she could be a liaison between you and contract attorneys."

"Yes, yes, we've thought of all this before. The answer is still no. The risk is too great," Aro huffed impatiently.

"But I have something else I can offer you…" I suggested, casting a baited hook with the hopes he would bite... but not literally.

"And that would be…?" he asked, attempting to hide his eagerness, but failing rather miserably.

"Alice has agreed to watch Felka for a year. If she sees anything on the horizon, she will contact you immediately."

"I could send a vampire companion with Felka who could accomplish the same thing," Aro answered flippantly.

"True, but Alice has agreed to watch your Tribute program, too. I know it's working well now, but Alice has already seen that things will break down. There are some simple preventive measures you could take to avoid problems before they arise… problems nobody could foresee, except Alice. She's willing to share this information with you, keep an eye on Volterra and Felka for a year. She also sees Felka becoming an integral part of Volturi operations. There are some specific things you need to do to make this happen.

"It's a good deal for you, Aro. You need the Tribute program to work. You're running out of options for a stable food supply. This way, you can keep the humans happy, keep yourselves fed and anonymous, have a human lawyer you can trust, and have Alice's gift to guide you through this first formative year."

Aro narrowed his eyes and sat forward slightly. I wanted to shirk back, but I stayed where I was. "And how do I know what you're offering is of any value? If I make changes based on Alice's advice, and nothing comes to pass, how do I know if I've avoided anything?"

Carlisle, Edward, and I smiled knowingly. "Welcome to our world," Carlisle proclaimed. "That's a question one Cullen or another asks every day. All I can tell you is that we've learned never to bet against Alice."

"As someone who can read her thoughts," Edward added, "I can tell you her visions are not foolproof, but her intuition is right significantly more often than not. And as someone who can read _your_ thoughts, I know you already believe in Alice's gift."

Aro focused again on me. "Alright, answer me this: How am I supposed to keep the other humans here? If they see Felka go, they'll want the same thing. Setting this type of precedent is too dangerous. It will lead to unrest and disobedience."

"Just because you let one person go doesn't mean you have to let everyone go," I reasoned. "She's still working for the Volturi. Instead of blood, her tribute is legal counsel. All the rules still apply to her. In reality, she's never going to be free. Her prison will simply be in Poland instead of Italy."

"I'm sorry you feel our arrangement should be characterized as a prison. Amanda has created as comfortable a situation as can be afforded, with my supervision of course. Need I remind you that this time last year, these people would have been killed without a second thought?"

If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it. I was pretty sure I'd just hurt Aro's feelings. I immediately started back-pedaling.

"I'm sorry. 'Prison' wasn't the right word to use at all. I'll admit, when I first heard about this program, I was… shocked, but the more I learned, the more impressed I became at the creativity it took to devise something like this. It's a tribute, if you will, to the Volturi's ability to change with the times. And if it is a prison, it's the nicest one in the world."

Aro chuckled. "Well played, Miss Swan."

In an admittedly bold move, I reached across the table and placed my hand on his. He looked downright stunned. I had to think not very many sentient beings who wanted to live long had dared to touch his hand without his bidding. "I know what you mean, but I really wasn't playing. I think what you're doing here is profound. I know it represents a huge paradigm shift, and you are to be commended for your efforts. I'm sure a warehouse full of human slaves would be easier to manage…"

He laughed again. "So, Amanda told you of Caius' plan. Not only did she refuse to participate, but she warned of the likelihood of mass suicides. Caius may hate humans, but he is keenly aware of our need for them."

It seemed time to go in for the close. I pulled my hand back, sat up straight, looked Aro in the eye and asked, "So, do we have a deal or not?"

He watched me for a very long moment, cocking his head to the side as he pondered the proposal being offered to him.

"I don't suppose Alice and Jasper would agree to stay in Volterra for a year…" he mentioned like it was an offhanded remark.

"No, I don't suppose they would," I answered with a grin.

I could almost feel the cogs click into place with his decision. "Alright, you have my support."

I let out a relieved sigh. Just as I started to do a happy dance on the inside, he interrupted me.

"But, I have to get agreement from my brothers. Marcus will see the value in it. Caius, I'm not so sure about. You haven't won your case yet, young lady, but I will give you full marks for bravery and cleverness. I think everyone knows I have a soft spot for your little Alice. The opportunity to put her talents to use is one that should be considered."

Aro stood, our cue to stand as well, and we bid each other a good day.

Upon our return to Carlisle and Esme's room, I felt giddy and terrified and excited and anxious. These were all the ingredients for a good case of indigestion. Now those lovely, fluffy, delicious pancakes sat in my stomach like a lead brick.

I didn't know how long we would have to wait. I was second-guessing whether or not I should have invited Caius and Marcus to our meeting. Would Caius think I was trying to go around him? If he did, he'd be right, but I didn't want him to know that.

All things considered, Caius was probably rather accustomed to being subverted. Aro was the primary decision maker and even though he was sometimes irrational, always devious, and mostly likely clinically insane, he was still a lot easier to work with than Caius.

I reached out to hug Alice. "Thank you thank you thank you for helping me today! Not only by offering your services to the Volturi, but for letting me know what Aro was going to say. When he suggested that you and Jasper stay here, I was ready for him!"

"Yes, but you came very close to blowing the entire thing with that 'prison' comment," she scolded.

"I know, but I think I recovered well. Didn't I?" Suddenly I was nervous about it.

"Touching his hand was a brilliant, albeit risky move," she congratulated me. "He literally did not know what to make of that. He likes a good surprise, and boy did you ever give him one!"

"I felt guilty for what I said. It seemed like the right thing to do. I guess I'm a sucker, right?" I asked.

"Right," the entire family answered in unison.

"Ummm… guys… that was your opportunity to say 'No, Bella! You? A sucker? Nothing could be further from the truth!'"

"You want us to lie?" Fred asked with a smile.

"It wouldn't kill you," I snapped back, pretending to be angry. "Anyway, when I realized I'd hurt Aro's feelings, I had to do something to make it better."

"Yep. Grade A Sucker," Emmett declared. "I guarantee he wouldn't have even cared enough to notice if he hurt your widdo itty bitty fee-weens."

"Mock me if you want, but I'm the better person for it," I shot back.

"Ooh, my name is Bewwa. I jus' a teeny human girrrrl," Emmett continued in baby talk.

"Stop it!" I chastised him.

"Hey, you said I could mock you if I want, and I want!"

"Will someone please smack him?" I pleaded.

Edward started to stand, but Rose jumped in. "I'll handle it." She went to smack the back of his head, but then pulled his face down to hers for a big sloppy kiss.

"That's not the kind of smack I meant," I grumbled.

"I bet Edward wishes he'd moved sooner. You gotta be quick if you want to compete for this," Emmett exaggeratedly nodded, gesturing to himself and grinning from ear-to-ear.

Finally Rosalie gave him the smack I was hoping for. And life was good.

**-…-**

A/N: I KNOW! Only a week between updates? Preposterous! And yet, here it is.

Please give me some love (or hate, or indifference…) in the form of a review! They are food for my inner author, as opposed to my outer author, who really just wants sushi.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

It was mid-afternoon when we received our summons to the Great Hall. Because it was specifically addressed to Carlisle, Alice, Edward, and me, I knew it had to be about Felka. Alice said no decision had been reached, but there had been some rather fierce debate between Aro and Caius.

I was little more than a bundle of nerves by the time we neared the massive doors. We were Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, aka me, going before the Great and Powerful Oz. I didn't imagine they had any scruffy little dogs or flying monkeys around to complete the picture.

As the guards opened the doors, I immediately noticed that only Renata, Chelsea, and Felix stood near the Brothers on their thrones. Every time I saw those thrones, I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes… how pretentious could someone be?

"Oh, Caius, Marcus, look! Our guests have arrived," Aro said with his usual flamboyant flair. Caius glared at us while Marcus just continued to look toward the back wall at nothing.

"Please, come in," Aro continued. "My brothers and I have been discussing your proposal and I'm afraid we are at an impasse."

"I see, "Carlisle answered, "and you would like our help somehow?"

"This!" Caius shouted, standing and pointing at us. "This is the result of your new world order, Aro. Your softer, gentler Volturi. Vampires think we need their help and humans are making demands! I was willing to go along with this whole Tribute idea because it was a means to an end, but it has only weakened us in the eyes of both our friends and our enemies. Even our food is insolent with us! What next? Shall we put on aprons and serve tea and crumpets to the humans? Invite the Romanians over for bridge night?"

Oh, clearly this was not going well.

"Caius, let's not air _all_ our dirty laundry in front of the guests," Aro said through a phony smile and decidedly clenched teeth.

"And why not? You're already making a mockery of us. They've obviously seen it for themselves or that human," he pointed at me, "wouldn't have the nerve to approach you as she did."

"Bella is not the problem," Edward snapped. "If you recall, she spoke her mind from the very beginning."

"Yes, and in keeping with that theme," I spoke up, "I asked to meet with Aro not because I thought the Volturi had gone soft, but to help a friend. If I'd thought you had all become a bunch of pansies, I wouldn't have come prepared to offer Alice's assistance."

"Yes, about that," Cauis sneered, per his usual, "Aro seems convinced that Alice can do something for us, but there is no way of knowing if that is the case or not. How do we know if we're getting anything in this arrangement?"

"You are perfectly free keep everything status quo and find out the hard way," Carlisle spoke up. "Then you can wish you'd listened to Alice. Or you can use her advice now and save yourself the trouble."

"Alright, I'll play along for a minute," Caius grinned in a way that sent shivers through my whole body. "Alice, tell us one thing we need to change and why."

He was obviously challenging her, but I knew she was up for it because she'd told us to expect it.

"I can give you a freebie, I suppose," Alice mused, pretending to think about her options. "OK, I've got one for you. Aro reads the tribs every week. This is a good idea, and you should continue doing it, but it doesn't take human impulsiveness into consideration. People might not intend to say anything, but get little alcohol in them, for example, and suddenly they can't shut up. Also, sometimes people can be coerced by money, intimidation, or even torture. You can't plan for that a week in advance."

"Ridiculous! Who is going to 'coerce' someone under our very noses?" Caius sputtered in disbelief.

"I didn't say it would be under your noses," Alice responded haughtily. "The alcohol problem happens here in Volterra, but that's an easy fix. Just implement a two-drink-per-day maximum and very precisely define what is meant by two drinks. If you leave loopholes, humans will find them. It's what they do best.

"The other indirectly involves Felka. And the afore mentioned Romanians. If you let this go, it will not be easily fixed. In fact, if you don't prevent it, you may be facing the downfall of everything you've worked for in the past 3,000 years."

"And…?" Caius demanded.

Alice simply smiled. "And what…?"

"What is this threat, of course!" Caius roared. "And more importantly, how do we prevent it?"

"I already gave you the first one free. The next one is going to cost you."

She sounded like a crack dealer, and in a way, I suppose she was.

"Oh, really," Caius replied in the most sinister tone imaginable. "What's to prevent Aro from taking the information from you?"

"Your own laws!" Carlisle answered fervently. "If you start breaking your own rules when it's convenient to do so, you won't need to concern yourselves with Alice's information… you'll bring about your own undoing!"

"This is not about convenience," Caius spewed. "If what Alice says is true, we're talking about losing our way of life… our very existence may be compromised."

"Well, then I suppose you should start dealing," Edward said with a satisfied grin. "Unless, of course, you still want to handle this without Alice's assistance."

"Brother," Aro broke in, "may I remind you that Alice has allowed me to touch her hand in the past, and based on that, I believe her gift to not only be genuine, but also beneficial to us. It's no secret that I've wanted her to join the Guard more than any other gifted vampire I've met. Would you actually deprive the Volturi of her gift simply to keep one human here?"

"But you heard her. This Felka is somehow involved with the Romanians," Caius bellowed. "And you want to let her go? If she is a traitor, she should be killed immediately!"

I could feel my panic rise. This was NOT where the conversation was supposed to go. I glanced to Edward for reassurance, but saw nothing in his expression that would alleviate my fear.

Alice seemed to have the situation well in hand, however. "Oh, Caius," she kidded, "always with the jumping to conclusions. I said Felka was _indirectly_ involved. The Romanians will be behind it, but she isn't working with them. In fact, allowing Felka to return to Poland is one step to subverting your enemies."

Caius sat down, clearly pondering Alice's words. I could almost see the battle raging inside of him.

I decided to be as bold with Caius as I had been with Aro. "Caius, I'm sure you realize the Volturi wouldn't be letting Felka go, per se. She would just be working for you in a different capacity. From what I've seen, most of the tribs here are reasonably content with the arrangements you've made, especially once they genuinely understand the alternative. But Felka hasn't accepted this life in Volterra, and based on my conversations with her, I don't know that she ever will. If she opts for death, how will that affect the others? Will they also start seeing this life as a fate worse than death?

"On the other hand, if you send her back to finish school and she can work as your lawyer, she will be much more effective at serving your purposes. You don't need her here – you have plenty of humans for your… needs. I know allowing her to live outside Volterra is very unusual, but I am a perfect example of a human who knows, but has never shared the secret with anyone. I know you don't like the arrangement Aro made with me, but you have to admit, it hasn't negatively affected the Volturi."

"Not until today," Caius grumbled.

"Marcus, would you like to share your thoughts?" Edward asked abruptly.

Marcus slowly shifted his focus to our group. "Obviously you already know my thoughts."

"Yes, I do, but they were quite interesting and might be of help in the discussion," Edward explained.

"Fine," Marcus said with a long, tired exhale, "Caius, for God's sake let the girl go. She's doing us more harm than good. She hasn't been able to move outside the castle and she walks around here like a zombie. People are starting to wonder. If she can be of use to us, fine. If not, we need to rid ourselves of her bad attitude, one way or another."

I gave Edward 'the look' – the one that says 'are you trying to hurt or help?' He gave my hand a slight squeeze. I hoped he knew what he was doing.

"Like I said before, we should just kill her," Caius interjected happily. "Finally someone is seeing reason."

"You can do that, but the long-term consequences will be dire," Alice quietly warned.

"Without knowing what you're talking about, it's impossible for me to know whether or not that is the case," Caius reasoned. "However, I _can_ predict the consequences of allowing a human to dictate her fate to us."

"She is NOT dictating her fate!" I almost growled in frustration. "She doesn't even know we're meeting on her behalf! Alice Cullen is standing here offering you knowledge of the future. She hasn't told any of us what is going to happen, but I know Alice and she's right. Bad things are coming your way if you don't listen to her."

"And yet you offer no proof of these claims," Caius spat.

Then I started to actually get angry. "You know what, Caius? Never mind. Consider the offer rescinded. I'm tired of trying to convince you to save yourself. There is no way to prove the future and you know it! If you're THAT obtuse and paranoid, nobody can help you anyway. Not IF, but WHEN your world comes crashing down around you, I hope you remember that it could have been avoided. Come on, guys."

I pulled Edward's hand and thankfully he followed me, as did Alice and Carlisle. My grand exit would have been for naught if they had just stood there while I tried to shove their immovable granite bodies toward the door.

I'll admit it. I had visions of grandeur that Caius was going to call out to me, realizing the error of his ways and beg me to reconsider. That didn't happen.

"Bella, wait…" I heard from behind me, but it was a female voice, and not Alice's. Of course I had to turn to see who was addressing me. Renata had stepped forward. Gasps resonated off the cold stone walls.

She turned to Caius and Aro, dropping down to one knee and bowing before them. "Masters, you gave me the honor of membership in your guard, but with that honor comes responsibility. I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't tell you that, after hearing all the testimony today, I believe you are about to make the wrong decision. Allowing Alice to walk out of here could very well lead to the ruin of the Volturi, or at least to its harm. I cannot, in good conscience, stand idly by and let that happen."

"Now we're being questioned by our own Guard?" Caius erupted. "Will there be no end to this madness?"

Aro looked curiously at his trusted protector who reportedly rarely spoke. I couldn't tell if he was angry or merely confused.

Renata continued. "I know I could be exiled or even killed for speaking out in this manner, and yet I must. At least I would die with honor, knowing I served my masters to the best of my ability, even if it cost me everything."

"You have no standing here," Caius hissed. "Return to your place while you still can."

Renata looked him directly in the eye. "I cannot, my master. My duty is to protect the Volturi from all manner of threat, even if it comes from within. If what Alice Cullen says is true, ignoring her information will weaken or even destroy the Volturi. I am bound to speak out against any such action, even though it pains me to oppose you."

"I'll show you pain!" Caius yelled, grabbing his pyre and flicking it to life.

"Stop!" Aro shouted as he moved to stand in front of Renata. "You've gone too far, Caius. Renata is merely fulfilling her obligation to us, and you would burn her for it? I cannot and will not allow it! Besides, I believe she is correct. We have new testimony to consider, my brothers, so we shall reconvene at once."

Caius scowled, but stood to join hands with Aro and Marcus.

**-…-**

I don't know how much time passed, but I was getting tired of standing. I went to lean against the wall when I suddenly remembered something. "Amanda said there were rats in the walls. Is that true?" I whispered to Edward. Not that whispering mattered, but the room was so quiet I couldn't bring myself to speak out loud.

"Actually, yes, there are," Edward whispered back.

I made a face and jumped away. Edward chuckled. "They're IN the walls, Bella. They're not on this side of the wall. They can't get you."

"I don't care. It's creepy," I pouted.

"Come here," Edward said, putting his back against the wall and sliding down into a squat. He was now the world's most perfect chair. I had done these squats in gym and it only took about 12 seconds before my legs were shaking uncontrollably, but he could sit like that for days with no trouble at all. I really did have the coolest fiancé ever…

"I've never seen them convene this long," Carlisle whispered. I was glad I wasn't the only one who was keeping their voice low. "I hope that's a good sign."

I nodded, leaning my head against Edward. My stomach growled, which was the only indication of just how long we'd been in this room. I pointed to an invisible watch on my wrist. "7:18," he told me, "and we need to get you fed. And come to think of it, don't you need to use the bathroom?"

"Well, now that you mention it, yes. Desperately!" I'd been so preoccupied, I hadn't even noticed until he said something, but now it was the only thing on my mind.

"This could be a while. Let's take care of you."

We walked to the double doors, Edward whispering to the guard, who looked at me with a shocked expression and opened the door rather quickly. I really didn't want to know what Edward had said to make him react that way. I was just glad to get out of the Great Hall.

Once outside, Edward picked me up and ran me to our room. Generally, I would be opposed to such action, but under the circumstances, it was a good thing. Once I took care of 'business,' I came out to find Esme and Jasper had joined Edward.

"Yes, everything is OK for the moment. The Brothers are talking amongst themselves," I heard him say as I entered the room.

"Bella, darling, you must be famished!" Esme exclaimed. "We had Felka leave your dinner, but I'm afraid it's stone cold."

"Cold, schmold. I'm getting used to cold food around here. I'll take it!" I enthused. I also hadn't realized how hungry I was. Under the domed lid was a really beautiful pizza for one, and a really wilted-looking salad. "Good thing I like cold pizza," I said as I took a rather large bite.

While I ate, Edward debriefed the others. Rose, Emmett, Fred, and Amanda had come in for the update, too. It was strange, hearing my words through Edward's mouth. Had I really said those things? I knew his memory was perfect, so I must have. I just didn't remember sounding so eloquent, although it might have simply been that all words sounded better in his velvety, dulcet tones.

"Are you ready to go back?" Edward asked when I was finished. "I don't want to rush you, but they're waiting for us."

"Yes, let's get this over with, one way or another," I echoed Marcus' early statement. Of course, the one way I DIDN'T want to get this over with was Felka's immediate execution because I'd meddled in her life. That thought gave me an entirely new case of indigestion.

**-…-**

"Can you hear what they've decided?" I asked anxiously as we approached the Great Hall again.

"Actually, no. The Brothers are trying to block me. Caius is reciting ancient law, Aro is recalling someone's memories, and Marcus… well, Marcus is just staring at nothing again."

"What's the use of having a mind-reading-vampire-fiancé if others can block him out so easily?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes at me as the guards opened the doors. The Brothers were seated in their audacious thrones, Renata was behind Aro again, looking no worse for the wear, and Alice and Carlisle were exactly where we'd left them – standing near the back wall. As we entered, Aro called us all to the front of the room.

"As you know," Aro began, "we've deliberated on this topic for quite some time. We have reached a consensus, but there is a condition attached."

"And that would be…?" Carlisle asked suspiciously.

"We have decided to allow Felka to return to Poland, assuming she agrees to our terms regarding maintaining our anonymity, her work schedule, etc. Insignificant details, really. The condition is that we must know how the Romanians are involved." Then Aro addressed Alice directly. "If you explain it to us and we do not see the value of your foresight, we will rescind the offer."

"That's hardly fair," I blurted without thinking. "You could get the information you need and just say you don't think it's valuable."

"My dear Bella, you have a mind-reader and a prognosticator in your midst," Aro reminded me. "Even if you don't trust us at our word, do you think so little of their abilities?"

He had a point. I looked to Edward, then Alice, and finally to Carlisle. They all nodded in agreement to the condition, so once again I had to trust them.

"Alright…" I acquiesced with a sigh.

"Alice, it would appear you have the floor, and our undivided attention," Aro stated.

"Where to start…" Alice pondered aloud. "This is a rather long story, but considering how much is at stake, I'm going to give you the details."

"The Polish girl's life is at stake," Caius clarified condescendingly.

"The 'Polish girl,'" Alice said making quote marks in the air, "has a name. FELKA's life is not the only thing on the line, as you will see once you stop interrupting me."

I thought steam was going to shoot from Caius' ears, but one shy, coy smile from Alice seemed to settle him down, like he understood for once that she was only teasing. He didn't look happy about it, however.

"OK," she began again. "So I'm sure you're aware that the Romanians have been watching your operations for… well… ever, and of course they're behind the investigations into missing persons in and around Volterra. They've been leaking information to one Paul West, British reporter extraordinaire. You've been watching him for some time, too."

"I knew he had to be associated with our enemies somehow," Caius remarked bitterly.

"Actually, he's not. He's been getting anonymous tips. After his cousin went missing in Italy last summer, and he couldn't track her down, he wrote an article about his experience. Suddenly he started getting leads about other missing persons. The Romanians were hoping to use him to expose you."

"Nonsense!" Caius hissed. "Even the Romanians aren't THAT stupid! They know to expose us would be to expose themselves. Your story lacks credibility already!"

"I didn't say they wanted to expose you as _vampires_," Alice chided, "but rather as murderers. The tips Mr. West will receive prove to him that you are a cult that performs human sacrifice, and when his story comes out, it will cause chaos, which the Romanians will exploit to show other vampires that your superior attitudes have made you careless and indiscrete. They will declare you no longer fit to rule our kind."

Alice stopped to let that information settle for a minute. Even I knew their plan could work and I could see the same thought on the faces in front of me.

"Now for some good news. In the past six months or so, your new Tribute program put an end to the fresh leads, so without new, suspicious disappearances, the reporter was ready to give up, figuring he was on the wrong track. The Romanians have been frantically trying to figure out how you're hiding your victims. They know you're getting blood from somewhere, but they don't know anything about Amanda or the clinic or any of the changes you've made. But then Felka disappeared."

"People disappear every day. How would the Romanians connect one insignificant Polish girl's disappearance to us?" Aro asked.

"Interesting how small the world is sometimes, isn't it?" Alice answered. "You see, the Romanians were responsible for killing Felka's family. Except they got spooked before they were finished and left Felka's brother, Idzi, to turn. A few days later, the Romanians came back to 'help him get revenge on the Italian vampires who slaughtered his family.'

"Idzi got through his newborn year under their tutelage and then went to find his sister, planning for her to turn so they could seek 'justice' together. Felka was freaked out, of course, so she started researching vampires, and you know how that part ended. When Idzi returned for her a few days later, she was gone and her trail led straight to you. He went back to the Romanians, who now had another fresh 'victim' to report."

"How did they know he would tell Felka, and that we would end up taking her?" Aro asked in disbelief.

"They didn't. It was pure dumb luck for them. Did you know 'Felka' means 'lucky' in Polish?" Alice added.

"No, I didn't, but she hasn't been very lucky for us," Aro replied.

"Your luck is about to change," Alice chirruped. "If you let Felka go, she won't be a missing person anymore. Once home, she can tell the reporter all about how his cousin and the other missing people actually tragically died from porphyria. We'll have to dummy up some documentation, but I'm sure we can do that. Anyway, the important part is that these people were heroes because the research from their cases allowed Felka to survive, or some other such nonsense that will make the humans feel all warm and fuzzy inside"

"So, you're saying Mr. West will give up meddling in our affairs after he interviews Felka," Aro concluded.

"Yes, he will have no reason to afterward. But it's so much better than that!" Alice exclaimed, bouncing on her toes and clapping her hands. She was so adorable, even Marcus smirked a little. "Felka's story will legitimize your operations here in ways you couldn't possibly do on your own. Idzi and his sister will be reunited, and once he knows the Romanians were behind everything the whole time, he's going to be quite outraged."

"How will he find out?" Caius asked.

"Ummm… she'll tell him?" Alice deadpanned.

Caius had the civility to look somewhat embarrassed, at least.

"Idzi may become an important ally to you, if you treat him with respect. He has a strong sense of honor and loyalty."

"If the Romanians find out Idzi's sister is alive, won't they try to kill her before she can talk to anyone?" Aro asked.

"Well, yes, of course, but that's why you're not sending her to Poland alone," Alice chuckled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I was glad she seemed to be having such a good time with this, because I wasn't. "Felix, Jasper and I will go with her."

"I will?" Felix murmured. "Why me?"

"Because, silly!" Alice laughed. "The Romanians aren't going to attack the largest member of the Volturi Guard! They're sneaky, but not stupid. Something like that would give you reason for retaliation and they know it."

"How long will you be there?" I asked Alice.

"Not long. Don't worry - I'll be back in plenty of time to get everything ready for your wedding."

"Are you sure? I don't know how to do any of that stuff. I'd be lost without you! And people are going to come, Alice. The guest list is already over 100! What will I do if you aren't there?" Now I was panicking in earnest.

"Bella, don't you think we should talk about this later?" Alice whisper-hissed at me.

"Oh. Yes… I suppose you're right," I stuttered, looking around the room and wondering exactly when I'd become Bridezilla.

"Yes, later would be better," Aro agreed snippily. "Is there anything else we need to know, Alice?"

"Actually, yes," Alice answered. "You need to send two escorts with the tribs when they travel."

"But Amanda said not to… that they needed 'down time' as she called it," Aro asserted.

"You don't TELL them you're following them!" Alice admonished with a significant eye roll. "In fact, they should never know anyone is with them. Amanda's right – they do need to think they're getting away from it all - but circumstances will change very soon and they won't be safe. The Romanians will do almost anything to know what's really going on here in your so-called clinic, including kidnapping and torturing your humans, but they won't risk a run-in with the Volturi Guard."

Aro smirked at Caius. "You see? We are still appropriately feared."

"I think my blood-slave-warehouse idea is looking better all the time," Caius grumbled.

"If history has taught us anything, it's that humans don't do well in captivity," Carlisle interjected. "Humans without hope have nothing to lose. Eventually, even fear of death won't be enough to make them comply."

"We can always get more. There's no shortage of humans," Caius reasoned.

"That may be true, but the faster you go through them, the more attention you bring to yourselves," Alice chimed in. "Haven't you been listening to me at all? The whole point of the program is to keep yourselves and your food source anonymous. Besides, you've already been dead for more than 3,000 years. I don't think being nice to a handful of humans is going to kill you."

Caius sneered. "You overestimate my tolerance."

"Probably," Alice laughed again.

"Are you sure you won't join the Guard, my dear little Alice?" Aro cooed, trying to win her over.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered with a sweet smile.

"So, does that mean we've met your condition?" I asked.

Aro looked at both Caius and Marcus. "We will have an answer for you in the morning. Bring Felka with you when you return."

**-…-**

A/N: Morning? Why do they have to wait until morning? That's ridiculous.

Oh… wait… that's my fault, isn't it.

Well, I couldn't just have them make an announcement without Felka there, and it was getting really late. She was probably in bed already. Besides, the Volturi may just have a few more things up their sleeves to discuss… (cue the ominous music)

Please review!


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: I've been trying to post this… Maybe third time's a charm?

Chapter 38

One thing was certain: There was no way I was going to sleep. My stomach was tied in knots and my brain was going a million and one miles an hour. Or kilometers an hour, since we were in Italy and all.

As I launched into my seventh improbable 'what if' scenario, there was a light tap at the door. "Come in. Please!" Edward said with unusual urgency.

Carlisle opened the door and peeked through. I motioned for him to come in, not really understanding why he was being so hesitant. He finally came over and pulled a chair up near where I sat on the bed.

"Bella, I brought you a sleep aid. Now before you tell me you don't need it, remember that I'm a physician as well as a concerned parent. You need a good night's sleep if you're going to function at all tomorrow, and I know you don't like pills, but I hope you'll…"

"Give it to me," I interrupted him. I mean, seriously, even the rats in the walls knew I needed something to knock me out tonight.

"OK, then," Carlisle smiled in surprise, handing me the pill and a glass of water. I popped it in my mouth and washed it down without a second thought.

"Since when did you become such a compliant patient?" Carlisle chuckled.

"Since I started thinking maybe Aro was actually tipping off the reporter so Caius would have to accept the Tribute plan. And about a thousand other conspiracy theories that didn't happen. And about ten-thousand possible outcomes. I'm driving myself crazy!"

"Well, that should all just be a fuzzy memory in about fifteen minutes," Carlisle cooed in his 'bedside manner' voice.

"Thanks," Edward said as he pulled back the covers and tucked me in for the night.

Soon, Carlisle got up to leave, but then turned back to me. "You know, Bella, I was extremely proud of you today. You were very brave in there, especially standing up to Caius the way you did. I've seen century-old vampires cower in his presence, and here's my little teenage human daughter going toe-to-toe with him. And winning, I think… or at least I hope…"

"I hope so, too," I whispered. "If I get Felka killed, I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

"Hey, hey…," Edward tried to soothe me. "If something like that happens, you can't blame yourself."

Even though I could feel the pill starting to take effect, I was coherent enough to argue. "Why not? I pushed the issue with Aro. She may not be happy here, but she's alive, and as long as she's still breathing, there's hope. Carlisle, you said yourself that people die without hope, and maybe that's true, but they die a lot faster with execution."

"All I can tell you is, knowing the Brothers as I do, I can't see how they would turn down this offer. They have to know how important Felka's release is to them," Carlisle answered.

"I know you care about her, love," Edward murmured as he stroked my arm up and down. "But the Volturi don't care about her in the slightest, except for what she can do for them. You gave them a reason to keep her alive and send her back home. She's suddenly the most important human in existence to them. You did that for her."

"I'm not sure if I did it _for_ her or did it _to_ her, but I guess we'll see in the morning…" I mumbled before drifting off.

**-…-**

I woke up feeling a little groggy, but a whole lot refreshed. Edward said I barely moved all night, to the extent that he felt it necessary to monitor my breathing and heartbeat. I was pretty sure he did that 24/7 anyway.

I used the bathroom and took a long, hot, glorious shower. The only thing that would have made it better was a cold vampire in there with me, but that wasn't going to happen … at least not yet.

Once I'd used up 97 percent of the hot water in Italy, I decided it was time to face the proverbial music. I dressed quickly and walked into our room only to face the literal music. Edward was playing the piano for Felka, who was completely engrossed in it.

Edward smiled at me and scooted over so I could sit next to him on the bench. Felka didn't open her eyes until the piece was finished.

"Oh!" she squeaked. "Bella, I didn't know you were here! I was just so…"

"It's OK. I mean, how could you not be 'just so…?'" I replied nervously as I moved to the little table where she was setting up my breakfast. She was sporting a beautiful smile and I wasn't sure if I was about to make her day or ruin her life.

"So…" I started, but didn't know where to start. "I hope you're not upset with me."

"Me? Upset with you? Why?"

"Ummmmm….. I'm sort of nervous all of a sudden." I looked at Edward for support. He was at my side in a flash.

"This is a good thing," he whispered. "Just tell her."

"Now _I'm_ getting nervous," Felka tittered.

"Well, I don't know if there is a good way to tell you this, so here goes nothing. You've been summoned to the Great Hall with us this morning because the Brothers are going to decide if they're going to let you go back to Poland or not," I rattled off at top speed.

"What?" she almost shrieked. She started looking a little wobbly, so Edward shot over to help her sit and then fetched her a glass of cold water. "I'm sorry… I don't think I understood what you said. Could you repeat that?"

"You heard her correctly," Edward intercepted my response, for which I was grateful. I didn't think I could say it again.

"What do you mean, decide if I can go back to Poland? That was decided quite a while ago."

"Well, I… sort of…" I trailed off, unable to explain myself now that it was time to spill the beans. It had seemed like such a great idea at the time, but I found myself wishing I'd just asked her rather than doing all of this on her behalf.

"What Bella's trying not to say," Edward jumped in again, "is that she had an idea for how to get you freed and we proposed it to Aro. I don't know what his answer will be, because he didn't even know, but he was leaning toward 'yes' and I would say it looks pretty hopeful."

"How…? When…?" Felka asked from her internal fog. "And why…?"

Edward took over, realizing I was still at a loss for words. I watched Felka's reaction very carefully as he explained Alice's role, her brother's connection with the Romanians who, unbeknownst to him, were responsible for killing her family, and what her own role would be if or when she was freed.

"You need to understand… you'll never really be free," Edward explained with a chagrined expression.  
"The Volturi will have to watch you, first because you're a human who knows the secret, second because the Romanians will probably be looking for an opportunity to kidnap or even kill you, and third, because you're going to be their only human lawyer, so they'll need to interact with you quite a bit."

"Wait… I'm going to be their lawyer?" Felka asked.

"Yes. I hope that's OK. We sort of had to offer that, since you won't be donating to the blood bank," Edward attempted a bit of humor. I didn't go over well.

"So, I can finish school? What about Idzi? And Bohdan? Can I have a normal life?" she asked, becoming more frantic with each question.

"I guess that's what we'll find out this morning," Edward answered.

Felka appeared deep in thought. "Bella, I don't know what to say to you."

"I'm so sorry… I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to get your hopes up, but then things just kept getting more and more complicated and I wish I'd just been up-front about it from the very beginning," I rambled.

"No, Bella, you misunderstand. This is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me!" She started to cry. I immediately went to sit by her. "Do you think they're really let me go? Caius was so completely opposed… I just never thought…"

"So, you're not mad at me?" I asked through my own tears.

"Of course not! I understand it may not go as planned, but at least there's a chance. I gave up on that a long time ago. So, when are they expecting us?"

"I wouldn't be too anxious," Edward cautioned. "There are still several ways this could turn out, but I do have a strong feeling they'll find some way to make it happen. They need you for this interview. A lot is riding on it, so I can't imagine them doing anything but letting you go. You may end up with a vampire next-door neighbor for life, but you can have a life at least."

"I wish I could call Bohdan, but I know it's too soon for that. I'm trying not to get my hopes up… it's just… the chance to go back to my country… it's almost unbelievable!"

There was a knock at the door, but before any of us could acknowledge it, Alice was inside and pacing.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She ignored me and concentrated on Edward.

"I don't know. They're blocking me, too," he answered.

"Neither of you can get a read on them?" I asked. They both shook their heads.

Edward was obviously frustrated. "I can only hear bits and pieces when they convene, and from what I can gather, that's all they've done since we left last night."

"They're trying not to make decisions, and yet I know they've made some. I get glimpses, but just when I think I've got something, it changes. I hate that they can get around our gifts," Alice whined.

I got a cold chill, and it wasn't from the draftiness of the old castle, either. "Yesterday, Aro reminded me that I had a mind-reader and… what did he call you, Alice?"

"Prognosticator," Alice and Edward said together.

"That's right, a mind-reader and prognosticator, and if I couldn't trust their word, I could trust your abilities. But if they're able to block both of you…"

"We may have a problem on our hands…" Edward finished my sentence.

"I don't understand. What are you saying?" Felka asked in desperation.

"He's saying this may not be a done-deal after all," Alice answered.

**-…-**

When the four of us returned to the Great Hall with Felka in tow, the same six Volturi were there to greet us. That was, until Jane stepped out from behind Felix. I wanted to ask what she was doing here, but I already knew – she was here to make sure the Cullens followed the rules of the Volturi's games. I was getting more suspicious by the second, and I could tell by Edward, Alice, and Carlisle's expressions, I wasn't alone.

"Welcome, all," Aro said with a smile that seemed just a little more phony than usual. "Thank you, young Felka, for attending as well. I trust the Cullens have filled you in our little discussions regarding your future?"

"Yes, they have," she answered quietly.

"And how do you feel about the proceedings thus far?" Aro questioned.

"Unsure, but hopeful," she whispered and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Ah, yes, just yesterday Carlisle was schooling us in the importance of hope when it comes to the human psyche. Why, there is even a human proverb that says 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick.' And the last thing we would want to do is make you heartsick, my lovely girl."

The way Aro looked at her made me want to projectile vomit.

"Thank you," Felka whispered with no emotion.

"So, you understand that we would like to make arrangements that will allow you to return to Poland, yes?" he announced like a game show host revealing what was behind door number one.

Felka's head popped up to take in a smiling Aro, a devious Caius, and a sullen Marcus. "That would be so wonderful! What kind of arrangements would need to be made?"

"Well, there are certain rules that must be followed," Aro nodded contemplatively. "Of course, the first and foremost is that you can never tell anyone of our existence."

"Yes, I understand," Felka answered. "I would never tell a soul."

"I'm glad to hear that," Aro praised her. "And there is a matter of the interview with the Brit. We'll give you all the information you'll need to conclude that nasty bit of business."

"Consider it done!"

"And I'm sure the Cullens told you that the Romanians will try to silence you. As much as I wish we could send you back with nothing more than our warm wishes for your happiness, at least one of the guard will have to accompany you at all times."

Felka scrunched up her face just a little.

"Do you have an objection?" Caius was quick to ask.

"No… no objections per se…," she hedged. "I was just hoping to have some… you know… private time with my fiancé, since we've been apart for so long." She blushed like crazy and I know I was sympathy blushing for her.

"I suppose something can be arranged," Aro waved it off dismissively.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"And you'll need to explain to your brother that his new friends, the Romanians, were actually responsible for what happened to your family," Aro continued.

"Yes, I'll be more than happy to do that! Once he finds out, they won't be his friends anymore, believe me."

"I'm glad to hear that, too. We wouldn't want your brother to be our enemy," Aro affirmed. "We realize he was misled, so we won't hold that against poor Idzi."

"Again, thank you."

"And Felka, I want to be very certain you understand that you are expected to study diligently. I know you were at the top of your class before all the… unpleasantness. We will pay for your schooling and living expenses," Aro smiled, "but we anticipate that our investment in you will not go to waste."

"Oh, no, sir. I've always been an exceptional student, if I may say so myself. I love my studies," Felka enthused.

"And you'll also have to study to pass your examinations. It would do no good to have a well-trained lawyer who isn't allowed to practice law, now would it?"

Felka chuckled a little. "No, I don't suppose that would be of much value."

"And once that is done, you'll remain working on behalf of the Volturi. Was that explained to you as well?"

"Yes, Edward explained it all to me this morning," Felka informed him. "It's not what I was planning for a career, but it's a small price to pay considering the circumstances."

"Yes, a small price indeed," Aro said a little oddly. "I think I've covered everything. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one. When can I leave?" she asked breathlessly.

Aro threw his head back and laughed. "My, oh my, we are eager, aren't we? There are a few details to take care of, but as soon as all the arrangements have been made, Felix, Alice, and Jasper will accompany you. You'll give the interview and have your reunions, etcetera. When Alice and Jasper are ready to return to America, Heidi will take over as your guardian so you can finish law school and your exams. Once we determine you are no longer in danger, Felix will return to Volterra and Heidi will remain with you for the rest of the year."

It was too good to be true. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Felka was alight with excitement, and now that I felt fairly sure the other shoe wasn't going to drop, I allowed myself to join her. She hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Bella, thank you," she repeated over and over as we jumped and cheered. I almost knocked her over more than once. Apparently she didn't realize how clumsy I was, but we managed to stay upright. Carlisle joined us, spinning us around gently and giving us big, fatherly bear hugs.

I turned to hug Edward, but found him in a stare-down with Aro.

I froze. "What." It wasn't a question. I knew what this was. It was the other shoe.

"Aro… don't," Edward warned through a low, rumbling growl. All celebrating had ceased and the room became deathly quiet.

"It's part of the arrangement." The words slithered out of Aro's snake-like mouth.

I stood stock still, not understanding what he said or what he might mean by it. "Excuse me? What's part of the arrangement?" I asked, even though I was sure I didn't want the answer.

"Felka may live in Poland for one year, while Alice is watching her and with Heidi as her guardian. You see, as she gets more involved in our business affairs, she'll have too much critical information to entrust to a human. And with the Romanians after her, we can't afford the risk of her being compromised, so we've decided to bestow upon her the greatest honor anyone could give - eternal life. We will make her one of us," Aro declared with a gleam in his eyes.

"You can't be serious!" Carlisle shouted. "We had a deal! Alice's information for Felka's freedom."

"We are giving the girl her freedom, my dear Carlisle. She will have a year to wrap-up her human life, and then once she's one of us, she won't be in danger anymore. You said yourselves that the Romanians wouldn't risk attacking a member of our guard. Would you leave her vulnerable? I thought you cared for the girl," Aro said with mock concern.

"Don't you use my words against me, Aro. We've known each other too long for that kind of nonsense. This was not our agreement, and you know it," Carlisle fumed with righteous indignation.

"My dear friend, in what way does this not meet our agreement? The girl will only truly be free when she is a member of the guard. Otherwise, she will need a glorified babysitter with her at all times. That is hardly freedom. This is the only way that makes sense. And really, it's the least we can do for all the valuable information Alice shared with us."

"I don't want to be a vampire!" Felka cried out. "If I wanted to be one of you, I would just stay here."

"Oh, but we need you to be human for your interview, my dear," Aro explained. "And after that, you will be in the public eye at least until you finish school and pass your exams. Your story will be so very touching, you see. People will want to keep track of you… to know how you fared after your illness."

"You can't turn her against her will," Carlisle said firmly. "She's said she doesn't want it."

"That is true. We hope she will change her mind as the end of the year approaches, but if not, she'll simply have a relapse and have to return to Volterra for more treatment. She'll be free to bring her fiancé, or husband if they're married by then."

"I don't want him to live like this! That's why I never brought him here!" Felka yelped.

"Oh, we understand that. You've made that abundantly clear," Caius snapped.

"I would never be so callous as to part the two of you, sweet Felka, which is why, if you wish to remain in Poland, we'll offer to turn him as well," Aro added.

"This is wrong! You can't do this," Carlisle seethed.

"Can't I?" Aro shot back. "Certainly you see that I am meeting our agreement. Alice's information for Felka's freedom. It's hardly my fault if you assumed she would remain human."

"That was everyone's assumption all along," Carlisle asserted.

"That was not my assumption," Aro lied. "If you have a problem understanding my decision, I'm sure Jane would be happy to explain it to you in more detail, wouldn't you, Jane."

"Yes, Master. I'd be VERY happy to explain," she said in a tone almost as sinister as his.

"I have a problem with that!" I shouted. I knew Jane couldn't hurt me with her gift, so I saw no reason to stay silent.

That was until I heard Edward scream out in pain. "That's right, Bella. You think I can't hurt you? Watch me!" Jane screeched, her eyes never leaving Edward's writhing form.

"Stop it! Aro, make her stop!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs as I tried to extend my protective covering over him. It was completely useless. I tried to go to him, to hold him, anything to comfort him in any way possible. Alice held me back.

"He'll hurt you. He's not in control of his body," she yelled as I struggled against her.

"He needs me!" I cried. "You have to let me go!"

Carlisle rushed toward Jane, but she simply shifted her gaze and soon he was writhing and keening under Jane's glare.

Edward recovered enough to try to intercept Jane again, but she turned on him, alternating between Carlisle and Edward. Neither of them was making progress.

In the utter mayhem, I didn't hear one more scream.

As suddenly as it started, everything stopped. Jane ceased her assault. The room went silent. Edward shouted, "Stop him!" causing both Carlisle and Alice to tackle and restrain a charging Felix. I couldn't figure out what was going on until Edward knelt down by Felka, who was lying in a pool of blood, her hand still on the kitchen knife in her abdomen.

"Nooooooo!" I wailed as I ran to her side. "Oh my God, Felka! NO!"

She was already struggling to breathe. "Sorry, Bellla. You tried… they'll never let… me go. Please… find Bohdan… tell him I…"

She lost consciousness.

Edward pulled me aside as Carlisle almost flew back into the room his medical bag. I didn't even notice he'd left, but Esme and Jasper had followed him back in. He dug through his bag, finding and ripping open packages of gauze and tape so quickly, I couldn't even see it happening.

Carlisle was concentrating, but his face looked grim. I could tell Felka had already lost a lot of blood. Then it hit me. "Get Amanda!" I called out as loudly as I could. "Esme, where is she?"

"I don't know," Esme cried. "She and Fred went with Emmett and Rosalie to hunt."

Aro nodded to Felix, who had regained some control after his apparent bout with bloodlust. As he dashed out of the room, I heard him yell for Demetri, who would be able to quickly track down Amanda no matter where she was.

I wheeled around to face the Brothers. "This is your fault! You couldn't just let her go. Nooooo…. You had to get a better deal for yourselves. And now what? If she dies, your whole empire is going to crumble, and all you can do is watch it happen. You know what? You deserve all that and more, you self-righteous, arrogant, pig-headed sons of bitches! And furthermore, you look like massive tools sitting up there on those idiotic thrones!"

It seemed like forever before Amanda rushed into the room, followed closely by Fred, Rose, and Em.

"Carlisle, pull out the knife," Amanda ordered. The second the knife was free, she grabbed onto Felka's hand, causing both their bodies to jolt. A second later, Amanda was on her knees and was soon lying on the floor behind Felka.

"… too much… can't…" was all Amanda could eke out before going perfectly still. Fred pulled Amanda's limp hand away from Felka's, but now both women were incapacitated.

Carlisle checked Felka's vitals again. "Her wound is healed, but her pulse is still very weak. Amanda bought her some time, but I don't know if it will be enough."

My mind was racing as I tried to find any kind of solution. "Carlisle," I called urgently. "Can you do a blood transfusion?"

"Yes, but you can't give Felka your blood. If your types don't match, it will kill her even faster!"

"No, not for Felka," I insisted, rolling up my sleeve.

Carlisle looked puzzled, but then nodded. "It's worth a try," he answered as he pulled out some IV tubing and a needle.

**-…-**

A/N: YIPES! What will happen next? (In theory, I should be able to answer that, but I didn't even know THIS was going to happen until about halfway into the chapter!)

I've been a writing fiend these past couple of weeks. I'm going to guess you don't mind. I'm already well into the next chapter!

Please review. I do love hearing from you guys.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I just haven't been home much. Don't tell anyone, but I actually resorted to writing a little here and there at work. They clearly don't understand my need to write fanfic… you'd think they would welcome the opportunity to pay me for doing something other than my assigned duties…

So, we left Felka bleeding out on the floor and Bella with a plan. Here we go!

Chapter 39

I made the mistake of watching as Carlisle put the needle in my arm. I didn't like needles and I didn't like seeing blood and I especially didn't like seeing my blood. I was a firm believer that blood should remain on the inside. I also held a strong belief that, for as important as blood was, it gave up way too easily. It should fight to stay in its body.

At this moment, however, I was thankful that it flowed freely through the tube as Carlisle provided suction. Fred fed the end of the tube into Amanda's mouth. I only hoped that fresh human blood would strengthen her enough, and in time.

"Don't let her take too much," Edward once again reminded his father.

"Of course not," Carlisle softly replied. "I'm monitoring it very carefully. Trust me."

"I do... I'm sorry… it's just..." Edward trailed off.

"No need to explain, son."

After a few minutes, I began feeling lightheaded, but I wasn't about to stop with Felka's life on the line. I was starting to wonder if this was going to work at all, as Amanda hadn't moved a muscle and I didn't know how much more I could give before Carlisle made me quit.

Suddenly, she twitched. Fred held her as she began to recover. She started to reach for Felka, but Carlisle stopped her. "You need to touch Bella first," he directed.

"No! I'm fine. Take care of Felka!" I insisted.

"I know you're fine," Carlisle said calmly, "but Amanda is going to need to drink more, and if she doesn't replenish you, I'll have three patients on my hands."

"Oh, OK," I acquiesced, realizing he was right.

Carlisle had to remove the needle because the puncture wound would heal over it otherwise. Amanda took my hand and I instantly felt 100% better. Carlisle reinserted the needle and Amanda began to drink in earnest at that point. It was an odd feeling. It didn't hurt, but the sensation of being drained was alarming.

Carlisle removed the needle again. Normally I would consider this procedure a half-step away from hell on earth, but Felka needed me and this was the only idea anyone had. Also, it seemed like it might actually work.

Amanda reached out to touch me, and then touched Felka. Again they both reacted like electricity had passed between them. And again, Amanda went limp afterward. Fred held her, ensuring the IV tube was still securely in her mouth.

About the time I started feeling dizzy again, she came to. Then it was out with the needle, touch me, touch Felka, in with the needle again. We continued this process twice more before Felka finally opened her eyes. I gave Amanda another pint or so, then she replenished me again and gave Felka one more touch before the ordeal was finally over.

I didn't know what to expect from Felka. I mean, she had just attempted suicide and we brought her back from the very brink of death. I couldn't imagine it would go over well, but we couldn't let her die right in front of us, either. Not if we could prevent it.

Felka stood and looked around her, bewildered by the massive pool of her own blood at her feet, and looking at her red-soaked shirt with a gaping hole in the middle. As realization settled in on her, she began to cry. In earnest. Esme held her.

I wanted to go to her, but I imagined I was among the last people she would want comforting her right now. She might prefer Jane to me. OK, that was going too far, but she probably would have preferred Chelsea or Rose at least.

Felka was trembling, so Alice took Fred's jacket and wrapped it around her. She didn't even seem to notice. Her entire being was focused on the three thrones in front of her.

"You won't let me live," she pointed at the Brothers accusingly, "and you won't let me die," she said in the same manner to Carlisle, Amanda and me. "What am I supposed to do?" Felka wailed.

"Do you see, Aro?" Carlisle asked angrily. "She would rather die than live the life you're proposing. And she would have accomplished it, too, if this had happened any place but here. You can't force her to live. Even if you monitored her 24/7, there are a thousand ways for a human to die. If she wants to end her life, she will eventually. It may not happen on the 20th or even the 200th attempt, but it only takes one success and your entire empire goes out the window."

"I will do it," Felka hissed with determination. Her tears continued to flow, punctuating the sincerity of her words as much as the macabre sight of blood dripping from her clothing. "I won't be a vampire and I won't live here as a prisoner. If those are my choices, then I _will _choose death and you won't be able to stop me."

"Now, Felka, my dear child, be reasonable. Surely you see why we can't have you, a vulnerable and fragile human, walking around with full knowledge of the Volturi's inner workings," Aro attempted to reason with her.

"First, I am not your dear child, and second, I don't have to know anything about the Volturi's business. I don't even want to be your lawyer, because unlike you, I have principles!" she cried out.

"Wow, a lawyer with principles? Maybe she should be in a zoo," Emmett quipped under his breath, causing Rosalie to elbow him.

"Please calm down, Felka," Aro said as soothingly as he could. "Tempers will only make matters worse."

"Make matters worse?" she laughed incredulously, wiping tears from her eyes. "How much worse could they be? I just tried to kill myself. I don't think it gets much worse than that!"

"Maybe we could come to some kind of agreement," Aro offered, trying to maintain the appearance of control.

"We tried that," Carlisle interjected. "You proved that you can't be trusted, and NOW you want to come to an agreement? You took away the only option she wanted. As much as I value human life, I think of the two choices you're offering, she should take Plan C!"

She turned to Carlisle, her entire expression softening, imploring. "Then why didn't you let me die?"

Carlisle had to stop to think about that. "Because, when it comes down to it, I'm a doctor and I can't help myself. I still feel there might be a chance for you, but if you decide to do it again, I won't intervene."

She looked into his deep butterscotch eyes, and I knew what she would find. Compassion and truth. "And if they force me to become a vampire? If I want to die, will you help me?" she asked.

"No, he most certainly will not," Caius hissed.

Carlisle spoke to Felka, but his eyes were locked on Caius. "Yes, I most certainly will. I believe in the sanctity of choice, especially when it comes to making this change, even if those who purport to enforce the law refuse to keep it themselves."

"We only need her alive until she gives the interview," Caius spat. "After that, whatever becomes of her is not truly my concern."

"The interview. The interview? Oh, yes! I'd be happy to give this reporter the interview of a lifetime!" Felka laughed again. "I'm sure he'd love to hear all about the vampires of Volterra draining scores of people, including his cousin. He might even win a Pulitzer Prize!"

"You'll tell him no such thing!" Caius yelled.

"And what are you going to do? Kill me? Go right ahead," Felka challenged him. "Maybe you can do a better job than I did."

I suddenly remembered what Amanda had said about Felka – that she was a very sweet girl, but could also be a fierce adversary. I had a feeling this brush with death made her a little less sweet and a little more fierce.

"Without the threat of death, what more do you have?" Edward asked.

"We can always kill the people she loves," Caius murmured viciously. He was like a cornered animal.

"My entire family is dead. My brother is a vampire. I have a fiancé who's told me he doesn't know how he can go on without me. You have nothing to control me with anymore. I guess in a way, I'm free after all. In fact, I think I may just walk out the front door right now."

"You can't do that," Caius sneered.

"Really? Because I think I can," Felka said confidently.

"You'll be dead before you cross the threshold," he threatened.

"OK, we can do it that way if you want to," she called his bluff, or at least what I hoped was a bluff. "I mean, based on what you said just a minute ago, I was under the impression you still needed me for this interview, but if not, we might as well get the killing done with sooner rather than later."

"Wait," Aro interrupted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Are you saying you would still be willing to do the interview?"

"Maybe..."

"Using our… script and not your own?" he asked.

"I guess it would depend on what you're offering..." she responded.

Aro looked uncomfortable. He was accustomed to having the upper hand, and now he had lost it completely. Felka held all the cards, and Aro was going to have to play her game.

"Make _me_ an offer," he answered, taking the chicken way out.

"I asked you first," she replied coquettishly.

Caius looked like he was about ready to come out of his papery-white skin. Aro's eyes burned with frustration and anger, although the smile never left his face, and I caught another little smirk from Marcus.

"We had an offer on the table," Aro said in a business-like tone. "If we remove the provision that you become a vampire or return to Volterra, would you still be interested?"

Felka thought about it for a few moments. "Here is the problem. Obviously once I give the interview, I'm as good as dead. You would have no reason to keep me alive and every reason to eliminate someone you see as a liability. With that in mind, I think I will need some form of life insurance. And please don't waste everyone's time by giving me your 'word' again."

"I see," Aro dropped his fake smile. I guessed he didn't like having his 'integrity' openly questioned.

"How about if we all take a break?" Carlisle intervened smoothly. "These two lovely ladies have human needs to attend to, and we wouldn't want them to be uncomfortable, of course."

"Of course," Aro deadpanned. "You may take your leave and return in two hours."

"Thank you," Carlisle replied before ushering us out the large doors. He put his finger to his lips, so we all walked in silence toward our suites.

"I'll catch up with you," Alice whispered. "Bella, I'm trusting you to give Felka appropriate clothing."

I started to giggle, but quickly realized she was dead-serious.

Once back in our room, I retrieved a new outfit for Felka, led her to the shower in my bathroom, and then joined the family in Carlisle and Esme's room. The chairs were still arranged in a circle, so we all took our seats.

"OK, what's going on" I asked.

"Well," Edward began, "I had to get us out of there because Aro was about to lose what little control he'd been holding onto. Felka's next words would have sent him over the edge and Alice's vision didn't hold much promise after that happened."

"What was she going to say?" Esme worried aloud.

"The 'life insurance,'" Edward made quotes in the air, "she wanted was hard evidence that vampires exist."

We all took a collective gasp. "She can't do that!" Rosalie growled. Of all the Cullens, Rose was always the most protective of secrets, especially the kind that could ruin lives and lifestyles.

"Yes, I know, which is why we had to get out of there before she said anything," Edward grimaced. "We need a suitable plan for her to offer Aro, and we need to figure it out before she joins us in…"

"Eight minutes, 53 seconds," Alice answered as she popped into the room and took the seat next to her husband.

"If she had this evidence, what would she want to do with it?" Jasper asked.

Edward sighed. "She wanted to put it in safekeeping, and then if something happened to her unexpectedly, the information would be released to the press and the United Nations."

"I think Felka watches too many movies…"Emmett commented.

"I was wondering what was so urgent that we needed to make such a hasty exit," Carlisle mused. "When you gave me the Bat Signal, I thought I'd misread it."

"Bat Signal?" I questioned.

"No time to explain, but we've all developed signals for communicating with each other when we're around other vampires," Edward explained despite the fact that he'd just said there was no time to do so.

"OK, obviously she can't expose us all to the world," Jasper reasoned aloud, "so, in lieu of that, what information _can_ she have that would hurt the Volturi enough to prevent them from breaking an agreement with her?"

"Can we use the Romanians somehow?" Fred offered.

"That's a good idea," Edward answered, "except that anything that will hurt the Volturi automatically helps the Romanians, and I'm going to guess there is one group of vampires Felka hates more than the ones around here."

"How about…" Jasper started, but then paused as he gathered his thoughts, "… instead of finding something to hurt the Volturi, we offer them something they want?"

"OK, I'm with you," Edward nodded encouragingly.

Alice bounced in her seat. "That could work!"

"Please tell me I don't need to remind you yet again that we're not all privy to everyone's thoughts," Carlisle groused.

Jasper chuckled before explaining. "Felka's brother still has connections with the Romanians. I wonder if Idzi would be interested in continuing to infiltrate their ranks? He could do a lot of damage from the inside..."

"OK, but the Romanians will know that Idzi's sister was with the Volturi. Wouldn't they assume she'd know who really killed her family and tell her brother?" Emmett asked. I didn't realize he was paying that much attention.

Jasper nodded. "It would be a dangerous game, but Idzi could tell the Romanians that the Volturi were trying to blame his family's deaths on them, and promise them occasional bits of information that he could only get through Felka. As long as he gave them credible sounding intelligence, they would want to keep Felka alive. Idzi could actually be gathering information about the Romanians, which is something that would definitely interest Aro and Caius, but would only do it as long as Felka lived as a human."

I was impressed, but skeptical. "If that worked, she would be the safest human on the planet. If it didn't, she would be the deadest. And Idzi, too."

"It's a good idea," Carlisle agreed, "but it does sound incredibly dangerous. For all we know, the Romanians might have a gifted vampire who could tell if Idzi was loyal or not."

"Also, there's nothing preventing either side from turning her into a vampire," Emmett added.

We all sat in silence contemplating this problem.

Amanda was the first to speak. "Idzi could tell the Romanians about me… if they knew Felka could only continue to gather information as long as she was a human blood donor, they wouldn't be so eager to turn her."

"No," Fred immediately responded as he reached for Amanda's hand. "That would put a target on your back. If they knew how important you are to the Volturi's new way of life, they'd stop at nothing to get to you, not to mention they'd want your ability for themselves."

"True, but what if…" Jasper pondered, "…the Romanians got a different story, like some vampire named 'Bob' or something can restore blood in humans, but that's all he can do. They don't need to know who Amanda is or what her abilities actually are."

"They would still try to go after 'Bob the Vampire,' wouldn't they?" Edward asked in all seriousness, even though his question sounded rather silly to me.

"If they haven't attacked Volterra yet, I doubt the existence of 'Bob' would be enough to lure them in. They're powerful, but they'd be crushed in a full-on attack and they know it," Jasper explained.

"Felka's coming. Act normal," Alice whispered.

I snorted out a laugh. "This IS us being normal. This is about as normal as this bunch gets."

The door opened and everyone stopped talking immediately. "So much for acting normal, guys," Rose said, giving her signature eye roll.

"So, I guess you were all talking about me?" Felka tittered nervously.

"Well, of course we were talking about you," Alice laughed. "Did you see anyone else stab themselves in the Great Hall? Because I didn't. You're kind of the 'it' girl at the moment."

"That was pretty badass," Emmett agreed. I wasn't sure he should be praising her for trying to kill herself, but I let it go.

"Well, I guess I can't expect too much anonymity after that," she answered with a chuckle, seeming to relax a little.

"Trust me – they'll be talking about that little stunt for centuries," Carlisle confirmed.

I patted the chair next to me, inviting Felka to sit in on the family meeting.

"Thank you, but I don't want to intrude. Besides, I just came in to get your lunch order, Bella."

"Oh puh-leeeese!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Sit down. Esme was kind enough to order up lunch for both of us."

"Oh, well, thank you..." she mumbled as she took a seat. I wondered where Felka, Warrior Princess had gone, but this was the side of her I knew much better.

"So, I have a question," Carlisle the Perpetual Scientist started. "Neither Alice nor Edward knew you had a knife, and they had no idea you were going to use it. How did you manage that?"

"Oh, that was actually easy," Felka waved her hand indifferently. "Edward and Alice told me how the Volturi avoided their gifts, so I just did the same thing. I put the knife in my pocket thinking about using it later to cut up some vegetables. I didn't know how I was going to _not decide_ to use the knife, if things were going badly enough that I would use it, but then Jane attacked Edward and nobody was paying attention."

"Clever girl. Not that I condone suicide, mind you," Carlisle admonished her. Finally, somebody said it, at least.

"I don't either," Felka answered. "It's just… I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't exactly left with many options."

Carlisle nodded, if not in agreement, then at least in understanding. "I know. I'm just glad you weren't successful. I hope we can work this out so it doesn't have to come to that. What you did in there took a lot of guts, and I know because some of them were hanging out of your abdomen," Carlisle quipped.

"Gross!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled. "Sorry. A little gallows humor there. Anyway, I was surprised and I'm sure the Volturi were shocked. Even though I don't approve, it did give you some leverage. I have to admit, you are far more formidable than I would have anticipated."

Felka blushed at his compliment. "Honestly, I just figured I didn't have anything to lose. If it worked, the problem would be solved, and if it didn't, I'd be no worse off than I was before."

"As much as I'd like to argue with your logic, you're right," Carlisle conceded. "But now that you've shown you're serious when you say you'll kill yourself, I would imagine the Brothers are quite busily mulling over their options as we speak."

"Yes, about that…" Felka said quietly. "I was certainly glad for the break, but it happened so suddenly. May I ask…?"

"Actually, before you came in, that's exactly what we were talking about," Edward answered.

"Oh?" She looked down at her fidgeting fingers.

"I understand your need for insurance, but no vampire in the world would allow a human to have proof of our existence. Even we would say 'no' to that. It's nothing personal. Humans just die too easily for our secret to be left in their vulnerable hands," Edward said a little too harshly for my taste. Felka'd already had a very hard day.

I gave him a withering glare. "I think what Edward is _trying_ to say is that proving the existence of vampires would hurt all of them, not just the Volturi. We need a plan that's specifically targeted."

"That's pretty much what I said," Edward replied a bit defensively.

"Aside from that fact that it's not even remotely what you said," Jasper ribbed him.

"Well, it's what I meant..." Edward grumbled.

"So, do you have a plan?" Felka asked.

"Well, m'lady, I reckon we may jes' have a lil' somethin' up our sleeves," Jasper said with a thicker-than-usual drawl. He smiled at Felka and tipped an invisible hat.

**-…-**

Our lunch arrived by way of Drivey. I wasn't sure why a vampire was delivering human food, but Felka didn't seem too put out by it, so maybe he was an OK guy after all. She called him Baothghalach, which Edward later informed me was Gaelic.

Once Baoth...gh... Drivey left and was out of earshot, Jasper explained his idea to Felka. She was understandably apprehensive, especially because the plan was largely dependent on her brother. She felt he may be volatile once he learned the truth about his family's deaths. If he went back to the Romanians with revenge on his mind, the entire plan would be blown.

"We'll try to downplay that whole 'vengeance is mine' aspect and focus on Idzi as the 'inside man who can bring down the enemy' part," Jasper said making air quotes to emphasize his points.

"I understand what you're saying, and I agree in theory, but the reality is that Idzi very well might not go along with this. Then what? I'm once again good as dead," Felka said with a disturbing lack of emotion for someone who was talking about the potential of being on more than one vampire hit list.

However, with no other options on the table, we decided to go with what we had and hope for the best.

"Bella, if Edward thinks we need another break, I want him to touch your palm with his finger, and then you announce that you need to use the bathroom," Carlisle explained.

"What? That's totally embarrassing!" I hollered.

"Really, Bella? That's your big concern? A bunch of vampires are going to think you have to pee?" Emmett chided.

"Oh, shut up. Why don't you tell them _you_ have to pee?" I snapped back.

"Because as much as I've tried, Edward won't hold my hand," he laughed, "so he can't give me the 'I gotta pee' signal."

"Oh, I'LL give you a signal," I retorted, shaking my little fist at him.

"Hold her back, Edward!" he yelped. "Don't let her unleash her all-powerful rage on me!"

"You just wait, little big brother," Edward warned. "When she's a newborn, she'll be stronger than you and she'll remember this."

"No she won't," Emmett answered confidently. "Newborns don't remember much of anything."

"I'll remind her," Edward mock threatened.

"OK, kids, enough," Carlisle intervened. "Time to put our game faces on. Jasper, I want you with us this time."

He headed for the door followed by Alice, Jasper, Felka, Edward and me.

And Emmett.

"Ummmm… Em? You're not going with us, son," Carlisle said as nicely as possible.

It didn't stop Emmett from whining. "Why not? Jasper gets to go."

"We're not doing this right now," Carlisle responded gently. "I need Jasper's experience and it will help if he can get a read on the Brothers."

"Fine! I'll just stay here and play Mario with Fred," Emmett pouted.

"No can do," Fred told him. "I promised a certain lovely lady that we'd take a walk this afternoon."

"Abandoned! Well isn't that just great. That only leaves one thing. Rosie?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at his wife.

"Oh, I'M your last option? I don't think so, mister!"

We left them with what was sure to be an epic battle. I would have preferred that one to the one we were about to face.

**-…-**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

I knew this wasn't going to be a real vacation, but I hadn't expected to spend so much time in the Volturi's throne room, fighting for the lives and freedoms of Fred, and now Felka. I wished we could just see the Sistine Chapel like normal tourists.

Of course, Charlie was under the impression that's exactly what we were doing, and having the best time of our young lives to boot. Esme had photoshopped some pictures for me to e-mail him. They were so realistic, I started to wonder if I'd actually been to the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben with Edward and just couldn't remember it.

I was having much more fun in the fake pictures than I was in real life, that's for sure. I envied the girl in the photo as she and her boyfriend took the cheesy, albeit obligatory holding-up-the-Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa shot. She was smiling from ear to ear and appeared not to have a care in the world.

The real me, however, was once again facing the mammoth doors to the Great Hall. I was getting sick of all the back and forth, but Felka's chances seemed to be improving, so back and forth we went.

Aro seemed to once again be in good spirits, at least outwardly. That alone was worth the break. Caius was still sneering, or else that's just how he looked all the time. The important thing was that he was sitting down and not yelling or trying to throw fireballs at unsuspecting vampires. Marcus was the same, which I suppose was neither here nor there.

"Welcome once again," Aro announced grandiosely. "And Jasper, to what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

"Just here to help," he answered politely.

"I see…" Aro sounded suspicious. "Very well. I believe when we adjourned so abruptly, Felka was going to give us her definition of 'life insurance.'"

A much more timid Felka answered. "If it's alright with you, I would like Jasper to respond on my behalf."

"Ah, yes. That would explain his presence then. Yes, by all means, let us hear what young Jasper has to say."

Jasper spoke eloquently as he laid out the plan for Felka's return to Poland, including the interview, Idzi's role, and of course, no plan would be complete without Bob the Vampire. Felix and Chelsea even chuckled about it until Caius gave them an exceptionally dirty look.

"Won't Felka need to come here if she's supposedly giving blood?" Aro asked, obviously puzzled because she had be so vehemently opposed to being in Volterra.

"I consider it a small price to pay for my freedom," Felka answered for herself. "I can just tell my fiancé I need follow-up treatments so I don't relapse."

"But what of your brother?" Caius asked in a way that gave me shivers. "He has been with the Romanians since he first woke to this life. How do you know he'll agree?"

"I know Idzi. He'll want to help me and I know he wants revenge on the ones who killed our family. Right now, he thinks that's you, but when he learns the truth, he will be ready to do whatever it takes."

"It sounds like a reasonable plan," Aro said to his brother. "She'll do the interview, which will completely legitimize our operations. We'll also have a man-on-the-inside who can give us intelligence about the Romanians, as well as provide misinformation to them. In exchange, Felka goes back to Poland where she gets to live out her life as a human."

"A salaried human," Jasper reiterated.

"Of course. A small detail, really. Whatever you think is adequate…" Aro commented offhandedly.

"So, we have a deal then?" Jasper asked.

Aro was about to answer in the affirmative when Caius started to interrupt him.

I'd never wished that another sentient being would be instantly sucked into hell like I did at that moment. Well, except for Jane, when she was torturing Edward… and James, when he was trying to kill me just for sport… and Victoria with her newborn army who tried to kill all of us. I suppose Laurent right before the wolves got him. I didn't have any fondness for Aro, for that matter, nor Demetri and Felix. Or Alec. And Tanya, but that was just jealousy. OK, so I'd wished MANY sentient beings sucked into hell, but right then, Caius was at the top of my list.

We were so close to a deal I could already taste it.

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Caius inquired.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked.

"What I mean is, how do we know this Idzi would be working for our side? For all I know, you've already arranged for him to take credible information to the Romanians and feed us nothing but lies."

"That's ridiculous!" Edward exclaimed.

"Is it?" Caius raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall the Cullens being particularly loyal to the Volturi. And your coven has grown quite large. Perhaps you are playing the Romanians against us with the hope of toppling both our regimes and taking control for yourselves!"

"Caius, you know me," Carlisle interjected. "You know I have no ambition for political power."

"You may not, but what of your coven-mates? Jasper is a military man. Once Bella is turned, you'll have five talented vampires. And isn't it interesting that Fred has chosen to dote on Amanda? She's only the most important talent we've found decades. A coven of ten with six strong gifts could easily take over once the Volturi and Romanians destroyed each other."

"I have never met anyone with a mind so full of paranoia, Caius," Edward shook his head in disbelief. "If it wasn't so damned annoying, it would be fascinating!"

"Yes, of course that must be it. I'm paranoid. That's exactly what you would try to convince me to keep me from uncovering the truth."

Edward looked to Carlisle, giving an exasperated sigh. "Please tell me there are antipsychotics that work on vampires."

"Mock me if you will, but it's all starting to make sense now," Caius replied slowly.

"None of us has any desire for this," Edward gestured to the thrones, "and you know it."

"I do have to admit, I had not considered this possibility," Aro mused. "Yes, that would be rather clever. And while I know Carlisle speaks the truth that he has no interest in power and conquest, I can't necessarily say the same for the other Cullens. Why, even Bella has proven herself to be quite the little strategist. And your newest acquisition, Fred, does have a bit of a chip on his shoulder over the misfortune of his former coven-mate. I could see where he might also be seeking revenge."

"Aro, you can't be serious," Carlisle scoffed, but I'm sure he knew, as all of us did, that Aro was as serious as a heart attack. Or in his case, a pit of molten lava.

"Oh, but I am, my dear friend. And you must understand, I am in no way accusing you or your coven of these mutinous actions. It's simply that anyone who could gain the loyalty of this Idzi fellow could undermine the two major powers in our world. I simply cannot leave the Volturi vulnerable to that type of attack for the sake of one human."

"But what about the interview? What about Alice's vision?" I blurted out.

"We all know Alice's visions aren't set in stone," Aro said patronizingly. "We'll just have to take it as it goes. Unless…"

His tone turned ominous. Edward stiffened, meaning not only was another shoe about to drop, but trainloads of sneakers and loafers and stilettos were about to rain down on us. I braced myself.

"Unless…?" Carlisle asked with trepidation.

"Unless perhaps young Jasper would shake hands with me…" Aro smiled wickedly. "That's the only way I would know your true intentions."

Needless to say, I started to panic. I knew Jasper spent and inordinate amount of time thinking about military strategy. What little he'd told us was enough to know he'd given quite a bit of thought as to how he would overthrow the Volturi. I knew these thoughts would never come to fruition, and likely Aro would know that as well, but it would certainly be enough to give him all the confirmation he needed to deny Felka's request.

I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing. Was there a way to get Aro to be content with touching someone else? Jasper was the last one in our family I would choose for the job.

Edward's finger moved to my palm. I'm sure I winced before opening my mouth to put voice to the dreaded words. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I really need to use the bathroom. I was trying to wait…"

Chelsea and Felix snickered to each other. She was added to the suck-into-hell list.

"Actually, this is good timing," Carlisle smoothly covered for me. "We need to discuss this as a family."

"Whether or not Bella uses the bathroom?" Felix guffawed, earning him dirty looks from most everyone in the room. As much as Emmett hated Felix, he would have appreciated that comment.

"You've got fifteen minutes," Aro huffed impatiently. "There is a bathroom in the reception area."

I'm sure Carlisle had hoped to go back to our rooms because the reception area was always quite busy, being a hub for both vampires and humans alike. But Aro had been explicit, so reception it was.

"I'm sorry, Bella and Felka, but we need to talk quietly, fast, and in code. There are too many ears around here," Edward said, looking around for those who might already be trying to listen in.

"Well, I suppose we should just use the facilities then," I gestured toward Felka. "Women always go in pairs anyway, right?"

Of course, Edward moved the entire group so they were standing directly outside the door to the bathroom. He assured us the coast was clear inside, and he guarded the door to make sure it stayed that way.

"Edward certainly is protective," Felka giggled from inside her stall.

"Yes, maybe a little too much so," I answered from mine.

The door cracked open. "I heard that," Edward called in.

"I know," I sing-songed back to him.

"He means well, but sometimes he goes a little overboard. Granted, he _has_ saved my life a few times, so I can't really begrudge him," I chuckled.

"You know, the only vampire I'd ever met that I truly liked was Amanda. I thought she was one-of-a-kind, but it's really nice to know there are other good ones out there."

"Yes, the Cullens really are the best. What you're seeing right now is how they are all the time."

Felka laughed. "Never a dull moment, that's for sure!"

I had to join her. "You don't even know the half of it."

We both finished our human business and went to wash our hands. As Felka handed me a towel, it looked like she wanted to say something.

"What…?" I asked hesitantly.

"I thought Edward was the mind reader," she snickered before her face became serious. "Bella, I just wanted to thank you for standing up for me today. I'll admit I was pretty angry when I figured out that you helped bring me back to life. I know it was only a few hours ago, but I learned something today: I really don't want to die. I'm willing to as a last resort, but I want to fight for my life, not forfeit it. You, Carlisle, and Amanda fought for me when everything looked impossible. And maybe it still is impossible, but I don't want to give up."

Tears flooded my eyes as I hugged her close to me. She started crying, too. I don't know how long we stood there, but eventually Alice came in to tell us it was time to go back. She joined the hug for another minute, and I knew if she could cry, she would.

"I think it's going to be alright," Alice whispered.

"Is that the psychic talking, or my sister with the positive outlook on everything?" I asked with a sniffle.

"A little from Column A, a little from Column B," she murmured and smiled. "Besides, we have a surprise for you."

"For who? Me or Felka?"

"A little from Column A, a little from Column B," was her enigmatic answer.

I narrowed my eyes at her, which just made her giggle. Not my intended effect, although it was highly unlikely that she would cower in fear and tell me what I wanted to know.

"Ready?" I asked Felka as she dried her eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Out in the lobby, the family was waiting for us and pulled Felka into the middle of a group hug.

"I'm glad you want to live, and as long as that's true, we'll fight for you," Carlisle said firmly.

"My mother told me never to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to ask… why?"

Carlisle laughed. "I don't know… why not?"

"I guess so," Felka answered with a half-hearted chuckle.

"In all honesty," Carlisle became somber, "you needed some help. We all liked you from the start and once we understood what was going on here, we all wanted to do something for you. It was Bella who led the charge, but there was never a moment when anyone in my family hesitated. Also, you should know that you have a good friend in Amanda."

Felka was in tears again. "Yes, I know. And thank you… all of you… for putting yourselves out there for me. I can't even tell you…"

"Vampires took away your life," Edward interjected. "Maybe vampires can help you get a new one back again."

I wanted to kiss him passionately in that moment, but this was neither the time nor place. The elevator opened on a rather put-out looking Felix. He tapped at an invisible watch on his wrist, and the doors closed again.

"I guess that's our cue," Alice sighed. We took the elevator back to the entrance of the Great Hall.

I still didn't know how we were going to deal with Aro wanting to shake hands with Jasper, but all the Cullens in attendance seemed unworried, so I had to assume they had some kind of plan. I didn't like not knowing what it was, of course, but it was necessary for the circumstances.

When we walked in, Aro was standing wringing his hands, almost in anticipation of something like a good meal. And truth be told, reading Jasper's entire life would probably be more satisfying to him than any meal could be.

Aro took a few steps forward, reaching his hand towards Jasper, but rather than offering the same, Jasper clasped his hands behind his back.

Gasps were heard around the room, mine included. I knew my family wasn't giving up, but what _was_ actually going on was a mystery to me.

"So, my friends, it appears you've decided the human isn't worth Jasper's thoughts?" Aro inquired, sounding both disappointed and self-satisfied at the same time.

"No," Jasper answered, "we've decided that what's in my head won't give you the answers you want."

"So, you're refusing?"

Jasper smiled. "Actually, we're offering something better."

He gestured to the door, which opened to Emmett and Rosalie flanking a vampire I'd never seen before.

"Idzi!" Felka yelped. "What are you doing here? How…" she trailed off as one hand flew to cover her mouth.

I became aware that Carlisle had moved closer to me as Idzi bared his teeth and snarled. That's when I remembered he was still a relative newborn. Rose and Emmett each grabbed one of his arms, just for insurance, while Alice stood in front of Jasper, who was now blocking Idzi's view of Felka.

Idzi took two deep breaths. "I'm OK now… I must speak to my sister."

Edward, Alice, and Jasper all confirmed that he was under control. Emmett and Rosalie let go of his arms, but stayed at his side as he slowly approached Felka. Before he reached her, Alice took a step forward.

"I'm Alice, the one you spoke to on the phone. As you've seen for yourself, your sister is very much alive and still human. We're her friends." She gestured to each of us as she introduced us to him. "You're going to be OK, but you need to take this slowly. Right now, I don't see you attacking Felka. Let's just keep it that way."

"How...?" Idzi asked, clearly confused by Alice's words.

"I told you, I can see what's going to happen. Right now, you've decided you don't want to drain your sister, but if you change your mind, we'll know."

"You'll help me? Sometimes it's difficult…" Idzi trailed off.

"We've all been there, my man," Emmett answered. "We won't let you hurt her."

Idzi took another breath before nodding that he was ready. Alice and Jasper stepped out of his way.

"Felka! I thought I'd never see you again!" he cried out. "You're alive!"

"Idzi!" she answered in like manner. She started to reach for him, but he backed away quicker than I could see it happen.

"I'm sorry. I'm not ready to be that close yet. I'm afraid of what I might do, especially if you're not covered in milk."

I swear every vampire in the room looked equally repulsed.

"It's OK. I'm just glad you're here," Felka sighed.

"I'm glad YOU'RE here!" Idzi exclaimed. "I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you from their ritual torture…" he gestured to the Brothers. "I wanted to, but Vladimir said if they captured me, they would use us against each other…"

"What are you talking about?" Felka interrupted him.

"You know… where they open your chest and drink straight from your heart?" Idzi answered to Felka's surprise. Seeing the look on her face, he seemed to panic a bit. "Please don't tell me they did worse things to you. I couldn't bear it."

"Idzi, no. There hasn't been any torture, ritual or otherwise," Felka almost scoffed in disbelief.

"Tell me they didn't use you for their perverse sexual pleasure. I'll kill anyone who laid a hand on you!"

Felka almost choked. "Idzi! Where did you get such ideas? Nothing like that has happened here. That doesn't happen to anyone here."

"But Vladimir said…"

"He lied to you! Just like he lied about killing our family," Felka explained.

"How do you know that? Alice told me it was the Romanians, but that just can't be…"

"I know because of Edward. He can read minds, and Jasper can sense emotions. They would know if the Volturi were lying about it. It's a lot to take in, and I'll explain everything to you later, but right now, I really need you to do something for me," Felka entreated him.

"I know. They told me. I have to shake hands with that one," he glowered as he pointed at Aro.

"If you would… it's the only way they'll believe that you're trustworthy."

"But how do I know _they're_ trustworthy? Stephan himself told me they were hot on the trail of the Italians when they found me," Idzi explained.

"Was he implying that _we_ ran away from the Romanians?" Caius scowled. "That is the most ludicrous thing I've heard in a century!"

"Come here, lad," Aro coaxed. "Take my hand and then let Edward tell you if what I'm saying is the truth or not."

Idzi looked to Felka, who nodded encouragingly. He cautiously approached the platform as Aro descended from his throne. Aro held out his hand, but didn't touch Idzi. Instead, he waited until the young vampire reached out to him.

It wasn't long before the silent interaction was complete. "Yes, I see now how they tricked you," Aro said. "You recognized one of them, and they told you he was one of your rescuers. You never quite believed it because you had a memory of him biting you, but it was all so chaotic, you weren't sure what was real. That memory is what actually happened."

"I knew it!" Idzi exclaimed. "I knew what I saw was real! They told me I was confused. Everything was so mixed up… and the pain… and they came to help me. Why would they do that if they were the ones who tried to kill me in the first place?"

"The law requires it. If they had left a newborn to roam free, we would have come to investigate. Once we discovered who sired you, we would have cause to punish the offenders," Caius answered. "They wouldn't risk something like that."

"OK… but then wouldn't it make more sense to just kill me?" Idzi asked.

"Not if they thought you might be useful. A newborn vampire with a grudge is a very powerful thing," Jasper responded. And he would know better than anyone.

"All they had to do was get you to believe we were your enemy, even though the Volturi had no involvement in the attack on your family," Aro answered.

"He's telling the truth," Edward confirmed.

"I can't sense any deception, either," Jasper concurred.

"All this time!" Idzi fumed. "I've helped them and listened to them, and all of it was lies? Stephan told me stories of all these the terrible atrocities committed by the Italians, and none of it was true…?"

"No offense to the Volturi in the room or anything," Jasper mumbled, "but some of it was probably true."

"Truth is in the eye of the beholder," Aro answered the accusation. "For example, he told you we killed an immortal child and his sire for no reason. But what he didn't tell you is that creating an immortal child is strictly forbidden, punishable by death to both the child and its creator. That may seem harsh, but these children cannot learn self-control nor can they be controlled. They would expose us to the world in no time."

Idzi nodded, seeming to understand. "The things they told me you would be doing to my sister… unspeakable things…"

"All lies," Aro answered, shaking his head.

"Yes, we've become quite 'human-friendly' around here, actually," Caius said sarcastically, punctuating his statement with air quotes.

"I _am_ convinced of one thing," Aro's smile returned, "and that is that our young friend, Idzi, does not have an agenda of his own. He has been an unwitting puppet in yet another Romanian plot to overthrow us. And if I ever see Vladimir again, I'll have a few choice words for him. First and foremost, I do not smell like a goat."

All of us tried not to chuckle. A few succeeded. Most did not. Aro wasn't nearly as amused as the rest of us.

"Brothers!" he directed.

A begrudging Marcus rose to his feet to join Aro and an eager Caius to make a final decision. I hoped the wait wasn't long this time.

Surprisingly, only a few minutes passed before the Brothers broke up their little triad. Aro clasped his hands together, plastering the smile on his face again. No conclusions could be drawn from that smile – it was the same whether he was granting favors or about to torture someone to death.

"We have come to a decision. Idzi is to stay here for a few days, see our operations for himself, ask questions, and learn about us firsthand. He will also be schooled in the law, as clearly the Romanians have not prepared him properly. After that time, he will touch my hand again. If his attitudes toward us have genuinely changed, we will allow him to leave with his sister, accompanied by Alice, Jasper, and Felix. However, we still have one condition."

I felt the panic start to set in, but Edward didn't seem alarmed.

"Idzi and Felka must return to Volterra every six months and allow me to read their thoughts," Aro continued. "As long as they are loyal to us, we will allow them to live as they choose. If I find they are working for the Romanians, they will be dealt with accordingly."

"That seems fair…" Carlisle said, looking between Felka and Idzi. They both nodded their assent. "And the interview?"

"Yes, she will tell the reporter what we want her to say, and she will be available for the press if needed in the future. Idzi, assuming you are our friend, we have a role for you in this as well. All will be explained in due time."

"I appreciated this, Aro," Carlisle said warily, "but I must ask why you changed your mind so abruptly."

"My dear, dear friend, the information I already gleaned from Idzi will benefit the Volturi immensely. If he can be trusted, we would be fools not to avail ourselves to his position with our mutual enemy."

"So, we're done here?" Carlisle hoped out loud.

"Yes. We will write a formal contract for you to read and Felka and Idzi to sign, assuming they are agreeable to it. Until then, this hearing is adjourned."

I felt dizzy and leaned into Edward. Was it really over? His face was a mask of concern for my wellbeing until I gave him a little smile. He seemed to realize this was a good type of dizzy.

Nobody celebrated as we left the Great Hall. It was a hard-fought battle and I wasn't sure any of us believed it was genuinely over, let alone that we'd come to a win-win conclusion. Carlisle perhaps looked more baffled than the rest of us.

Once we were back in Esme's parlor, we all sat, pulling up another chair for Idzi. We explained the entire proceedings to Fred, Amanda, and Esme.

"So, are you saying you won?" Esme aked cautiously.

"I guess we are…" her husband answered.

"And you're sitting here with morbid looks on your faces because…?"

"That's a good question," Emmett hollered before letting out a huge 'whoop' and high-fiving Fred.

Their sudden reverie spread like wildfire as it dawned on the rest of us that there were no more shoes to drop. Felka and I hugged each other fiercely. I knew in that moment we would be life-long friends. I had a moment of sadness as I realized I would live far beyond her lifespan, but I would enjoy the time I had with her, and that was now.

**-…-**

AN: Ahh, a happy ending for a character I never intended to develop. LOL Seriously, she wasn't even going to have a name. But I'm happy she gets to go back to her life, not TOO much worse for the wear.

Speaking of endings, I think the next chapter will be the last. And I'm pretty sure there will be an epilogue.

Please review! I love hearing your thoughts. Thanks for reading!


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"OK, Alice, I have to know," Felka insisted. "How did you find my brother?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Esme added. Everyone else nodded, including me. I knew she couldn't have seen him because she wouldn't even know who she was looking for.

"Let's just say I'm a super-genius and leave it at that," she laughed.

"Oh, no. You're not getting off that easy!" Emmett jumped in. We all made similar protests until Alice held up her hands.

"OK, OK, I'll tell you! I called Bohdan last night."

"What? How did you get his number?" Felka exclaimed.

"You call him every night, so I just watched you call, then when you were done, I called him. I told him I was one of your nurses and I needed to contact your brother for a DNA sample," Alice explained. "He thought Idzi was dead, but I assured him that was not the case."

"But how would Bohdan know where to find Idzi?" Felka asked the obvious question.

"Well, he didn't, and frankly, neither did I, but I thought maybe he would be at your place, so I told Bohdan to call until Idzi picked up the phone. He wanted to go over there in person, but I knew that would be a disaster, so I made up some medical mumbo-jumbo about a mutation, and how it would be dangerous, and blah blah blah."

Idzi picked up the story. "The phone kept ringing and ringing, so I finally decided it must be important. There was this frantic guy on the other end telling me I had to help Felka and he gave me a number to call."

"So, if you talked to Alice last night, why did it take you so long to get here?" Jasper asked wryly.

"Are you saying I'm slow?" Idzi joked back. "Do you know how far it is from Poland to Italy on foot? Do you know how many mountains I had to cross? "

"Ummm… dude, there's this new invention out there. It's pretty cool. It's called an 'airplane,'" Emmett drew out the word. "You get inside of it and it goes up, up, up into the sky and right over the tops of those pesky mountains."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Idzi replied drolly. "Since I don't have an 'airplane' and I wouldn't know how to fly one if I did, it wasn't really an option."

"You can get these other people to fly them for you. They're called 'pilots,'" Emmett continued to harass poor Idzi.

"They're also called 'dinner.' Think about that for a minute. Newborn vampire locked in steel tube with humans. Nothing could possibly go wrong there!"

"Ummm… yeah, maybe running was the best bet after all," Emmett conceded.

"I had Felka's phone, so when Alice called me this morning and told me where to meet her brother and sister, I went, and when this huge hulking monster stepped out of the car," he whapped Emmett on the arm, "I figured it was a trap. Then the lovely Rosalie got out, and I'll admit… I hoped it was."

Emmett whapped Idzi back. "Hey, that's my wife you're talking about there."

"I know! Who would have thought someone so beautiful would have no taste in men!" Idzi bellowed, causing all of us to laugh. Even Rose couldn't help herself.

"Everyone's a comedian…" Emmett grumbled, making us laugh harder. It was nice to see him get a little taste of his own medicine once in a while.

**-…-**

The next couple of days were a flurry of activity. Amanda took it upon herself to show Idzi around. Of course, Fred was always nearby, even though he insisted he was not the jealous type. Idzi was extremely attractive and very flirty, although I only noticed this from afar as he was not allowed within a hundred thousand miles of me.

Idzi had what Amanda referred to as a 'drinking problem,' however… After he almost killed the first trib he tasted, he was not allowed to feed unless two vampires were restraining him. Of course, his human meal was none the wiser, waking up refreshed and ready to face the new day.

Needless to say, he was never left alone, for which I was thankful. Felka had even taken to wearing a small vial of milk on a necklace, hoping it would remind him not to bite her, if he ever got close enough to need a reminder.

It was gratifying to see them rekindle their relationship. So much had changed for them, I thought they might struggle to find common ground, but they fell into an easy camaraderie.

It didn't take long for Idzi to see for himself the extent to which the Romanians had been deceitful. Some of the stories he told us were shocking, while others were merely stupid. Even as distasteful as Aro was to me, he didn't smell like a wet goat.

Some of the stories were horrific enough that Idzi wouldn't tell them to us. That meant Edward knew them, but he refused to tell me, too. My first inclination was to be irritated with both of them, but then I thought it might actually be preferable not to know. Once you hear something like that, you don't get to 'unhear' it.

As promised, copies of a contract were delivered. We all poured over them, trying to find any loopholes or clauses that would allow the Volturi to change the nature of the agreement.

"'Periodically,'" Felka pondered. "I don't want to come here 'periodically.' Aro said six months."

"OK," Carlisle began making edits. "How about 'As deemed necessary, but no more frequently than six months apart' or something along those lines?"

"Good," Felka answered, "although I imagine we should have a clause for possible emergency situations. Add "unless both parties agree to an alternate schedule as required from time to time."

"Lawyer speak!" Fred hollered. "I can't take it!"

He and Amanda excused themselves, citing the 'anything is better than this' clause.

I wished Edward and I could escape, too, but he was needed to listen to everyone's minds, making sure no important ideas were internally judged and disregarded.

In the end, we only made four changes to the contract, and none of them were substantial. From all appearances, the Volturi were actually making good on their word. I figured Idzi must have had some really useful information about the Romanians to make Aro sit up and take notice like he did. Even Caius didn't backpedal.

As Edward and I went back to our room, I was thinking about tonight's meeting between the whole of the Volturi and 'Cullens and Friends,' as we'd begun to call ourselves. There were really only two agenda items: Aro would read Idzi. If he didn't pass inspection, everything we'd worked for would be null and void, but I really wasn't worried about that. If what I saw was the truth, Idzi would pass with flying colors.

The second item was quite a bit more ominous… Fred's future.

He was still under Aro's protective order, and I could tell by the looks he got that the Volturi guard members were, at best, apprehensive around him. I didn't know if he just wasn't able to make friends here, or if it was because he spent all his time with Amanda, or because he could be just plain out-and-out terrifying, but he hadn't warmed up to any of the other vampires and they avoided him like the plague.

I knew if Fred had his choice, he would bring Amanda home to Forks and the ten of us would live happily ever after. Literally. But even as much as I didn't want to admit it, that couldn't happen. Amanda was needed in Volterra. We all knew it.

Fred never wanted to talk about it, which made me nervous. Was he just in denial that something had to be done? Neither Alice nor Edward knew what he was going to do, which meant Fred had yet to make a decision and he wasn't thinking about it.

That would have been fine, except we were meeting with the Volturi in a few hours. A decision would be made tonight, whether Fred made it for himself, or they made it for him. I hoped it was the former rather than the latter.

"A hundred million dollars for your thoughts?" Edward chuckled as he pulled my hair up and away from my neck, exposing my tender skin to his icy lips.

"I'll need half of that up front," I whispered.

"Half the kisses, or half the money?"

"Yes," I answered on a bit of a moan, causing him to chuckle again.

"Can I write you a check?"

"You probably could, couldn't you…" I rolled my eyes as he buried his nose into my hair, planting full, open-mouth kisses behind my ear. My eyes fluttered closed and I just allowed myself to feel the nearness of him.

"Could what…" he murmured between nuzzles.

"What?" I asked on a sigh.

"Nothing…" he mumbled before kissing my mouth with so much passion, I thought I was going to implode from the force of it.

It seemed as if we'd been talking about something, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was.

"I love you so much," I breathed to him.

"Oh, Bella, I love you so much, I don't know what to do with myself."

"Come lay down with me?"

He picked me up bridal-style and gently laid me on the bed, following only a second after. In all the tension-filled hours of the prior few days, we hadn't spent much time like this… without a thought in the world outside of each other. This was pure bliss, and the only thing more blissful would be sharing ourselves with each other more fully. That time would come, and _soon_.

Suddenly, I bolted upright. "Edward! It's July 15th, isn't it!"

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"I just realized we're less than a month away from our wedding!"

"And this alarms you?" he asked guardedly.

"Well, yes, but not for the reason you're thinking. How are we going to get everything done in time? Alice won't be there for who knows how long. I don't know anything about planning a wedding! We invited the entire town!"

"Calm down, Bella. You don't really think Alice would leave you hanging, do you? She's been making arrangements the whole time we've been here."

"When? Are you sure? Is there anything that still needs to be done?" I asked in rapid succession.

"Yes, you need to turn around," he motioned for me to face away from him so he could massage my shoulders. "You know Alice doesn't need sleep. Every night, she's been online and on the phone, ordering things and double checking ship dates and making sure every detail is handled. She's given us all task lists, too. Trust me. Alice won't allow anything to interfere with our wedding. It will be perfect, and you'll be stunning."

"How do you know?" I asked, puzzled. "You weren't supposed to see the wedding dress yet! You promised no peeking into Alice's mind."

"Bella! I didn't peek. I know you'll be stunning because you _are_ stunning," he said as he nibbled at the bare skin at the base of my neck.

"But what if I trip and fall and make an idiot of myself and rip the dress and expose my backside to the whole town?"

He chuckled again. "I don't think any of that is going to happen. Besides, Charlie won't let you fall, and once he places your hand in mine, I'll never let you fall."

I took a deep breath and finally relaxed into his strong hands as they gently kneaded my tense muscles. My mind kept replaying those words: 'I'll never let you fall.'

**-…-**

The next thing I knew, Edward was kissing my shoulder, but I was lying down under the covers. My cheek felt wet and I realized I'd been drooling. If that wasn't a good look, I didn't know what was.

"Time to wake up, my beautiful almost wife," he cooed in my ear.

"I think you mean almost beautiful almost wife…"

"I meant what I said and I said what I meant. A vampire faithful one hundred percent."

"Horton Hears a Who?" I giggled.

"I see you know the classics, m'lady."

I wiped at my face before rolling toward Edward. "But of course. I have to keep up with my exceptionally cultured fiancé."

He leaned in to kiss me, and although I was a little self-conscious about the possibility of having late afternoon breath, I tried to ignore it. It didn't take long before it didn't matter… I'd forgotten how to breathe entirely.

"Why did you let me sleep?" I whined. "We could have spent all afternoon doing this."

"Believe me, I thought about waking you up just for that purpose, but you almost never take naps, so I figured you must really need the sleep."

"Why can't you just be selfish like other boys?" I fake pouted.

"I'll work on it," he promised.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and worked my fingers into his unruly, luscious hair. We made out like the teenagers we would forever be, until he broke our kiss. "Felka's on her way with your dinner, sweetheart."

"So?" I whimpered, trying to get my lips latched back onto his.

"Honey, I don't think you want her walking in on us like this, do you?"

"Eh. She's practically family," I dismissed his concerns, leaning in again.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Bella, I don't think 'family' is exactly a valid reason to have someone peeping at us. Remember – Emmett is family, too."

"Oooooohhh…," I grimaced. "You just had to say that, didn't you. Well, if you were trying to turn me off completely, mission accomplished."

He scratched his head. "Ummm… yeah, what just happened here? I've got this hot girl that I love in my bed, crawling all over me, and I'm trying to get her to stop?"

"At this rate, you're going to get yourself rousted out of the male gender entirely," I teased.

"We'll see if you're still saying that after our wedding night," he waggled his eyebrows.

His words gave me a warm feeling all the way from my toenails to the ends of each strand of hair on my head, with most of the warmth settling in the middle of my body. I launched myself at him. "OK. Officially turned back on."

When I heard a tap at the door, I jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. Once I was securely inside, I heard Edward greet Felka. Their conversation sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher talking. 'Wah wah wa wa wah.'

I ran a brush through my ridiculously messy hair and straightened out my clothes a little. I wasn't going to get much more presentable without serious work, so I gave up and went to join the others.

Felka was giving Edward the lowdown on Idzi. We all felt pretty confident that he would pass the Aro test with no problem. She said he was actually looking forward to it.

We still didn't have any news on Fred. I supposed he was playing it by ear. He was nothing if not spontaneous. It was one of his best and worst traits.

As had become our custom, Felka brought food for both of us. Of course, it was delicious. "I'm going to miss your cooking. I never knew I would like Polish food so much. I'm not going to find pierogi like this in the States, am I…"

"I'll do some research, but in a word, no," she giggled.

"You can ship me some!"

"Not for too much longer. I'll have to do that while you're still human."

"Wow! How did I not think of that? I should slow down and savor this a little more," I mused.

Edward looked troubled, and I knew why. "Oh, stop it," I mildly reprimanded him. "Felka's pierogi is really good, but not as good as spending eternity with you, so there."

I leaned over and stage whispered to Felka, "_They're almost as good, though_."

Edward growled and we both giggled at his silliness. We hadn't had much light-heartedness in the past few days, so this was a welcome reprieve.

**-…-**

All too soon, we found ourselves in front of the Great Hall for what we hoped would be the last time… maybe ever. If I never entered this room again, it wouldn't hurt my feelings in the slightest.

There were now 12 in our party. I was surrounded on all sides by Cullens, and even though I hadn't been given specific marching orders, I knew this was no accident. Jasper, Alice, Fred, and Amanda surrounded Felka, although Idzi was becoming more accustomed to his sister's scent and therefore less of a threat. It warmed my heart to see that, even though Idzi wasn't right next to her, he and Felka held hands as they walked.

"Come in! Come in," the booming echo of Aro's distinctive voice bounced around the stone walls. "Welcome!"

When they said all the Volturi would be there, they weren't joking. I didn't know there were so many vampires in the guard, and there were still a few others outside actually guarding. I had to think this was some kind of message to Idzi and Felka, like 'we might let you go, but don't forget how powerful we are.' If so, I'm sure the message was received loud and clear.

Aro was still spouting pleasantries and making introductions when I returned my attention to the present proceedings. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes at the pompous ass before me. Aro liked hearing himself talk as much as Rosalie liked looking in the mirror.

"Idzi, step forward please," Aro directed. "Will you give me your hand?"

"In marriage?" I heard Emmett whisper. If I heard it, that meant everyone heard it. Many of the guard member's lips were twitching. Aro didn't break character, however.

Idzi confidently took Aro's hand.

"I see," Aro said distantly. "Yes, this is exactly as I'd hoped. You are free to go."

"Just like that?" Idzi asked.

"Well, not quite…" Aro answered rather mysteriously…

**-…-**

A/N: I know I said there was only one chapter left, and that was true, but when the final chapter hit over 6,000 words and it's still not done, I figured I should break it into two parts. I hope you don't mind.

So, far be it from me to beg for reviews (please please please), but I only received two from the last two chapters, and both were from the same (lovely) person. I had hoped to break 200 by the end of the story. It could still happen, but 150 may be a more realistic goal! Write to me, people!


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Is this the final chapter? See you at the bottom!

**-…-**

Chapter 42

"Heidi, my dear," Aro continued, "will you give me your hand?"

Heidi emerged from the group, looking puzzled. "Of course, master," she answered.

Aro dropped Idzi's hand and took Heidi's in its place. "Interesting," he murmured. "Marcus, what do you see?"

It took a few seconds for Marcus to respond, but he eventually looked in their direction. Sighing, he disinterestedly replied, "Yes, I see it."

"Wonderful!" Aro cried, clapping his hands. "Of course, Idzi would be attracted to Heidi. That is her gift, but I've never known her to be genuinely attracted to anyone else."

"She is?" Idzi looked dumbstruck before turning his attention to Heidi. "I mean, you are?"

"Yes, you silly boy," she cooed. "I've been trying to get your attention for days!"

"You've had my attention since the moment I met you. Don't you remember me stuttering like an imbecile?" he laughed at himself.

"Well, yes, but I get that all the time… ummm… due to my gift, I mean," she answered modestly. "You were so busy flirting with everyone else, I assumed you weren't interested."

"Oh, no… that wasn't it at all," Idzi scoffed at the mere idea. "I mean, you're so far above someone like me… I thought you were just being nice… maybe out of pity?"

"Pity? Why would I pity you?" Heidi chortled in disbelief.

"I don't know… maybe because I'm just a simple farm boy… You're so glamorous and beautiful, I just thought…" Idzi trailed off, looking down at his shoes.

Heidi timidly reached over and put her finger under his chin, lifting his head until his eyes met hers. "I think you're beautiful, too."

"Get a room!" Emmett hollered to the amusement of most of the assembly.

"See? This changes things," Aro muttered angrily.

I tensed up immediately, both at his words and his tone.

"Felix won't be going to Poland after all," Aro grumbled. "Heidi will." And then in a highly uncharacteristic move, Aro smiled. Not his fake smile, but a genuine one that I'd never seen before. I didn't imagine anyone saw much of it, but there it was. He was beaming at Heidi like a proud father, and I had to wonder if he had thought she would never find her match.

"But we need her talent!" Caius hissed.

"Oh, nonsense," Aro answered dismissively. "We needed Heidi's ability when we were bringing our food in, but now that we have a stable food supply, we aren't using her talents at all. Besides, Caius, you said yourself that you didn't want Felix to go… that he was too important to our security here."

If it were possible, Felix looked a little more puffed up than usual.

"Of course, Heidi's presence is always a delight…," Aro continued, seeming a bit melancholy. He turned to her and said, "The choice is yours, my dear girl. If you stay, we will be overjoyed to have you continue in our company. If you go, we will miss you terribly, but you will go with our blessing and the full authority of the Volturi guard."

She looked between Aro and Idzi, then around the room at her fellow guard members. "I… I'll miss all of you, too," she announced with a dazzling smile.

A cheer went up as Idzi pulled Heidi into an embrace, kissing her soundly. Many of the guard members approached, offering hugs and congratulations. I knew Heidi was well-liked… I didn't know how much was due to her gift and how much was actually her, or if the two were so intertwined, they were indistinguishable, but the girl definitely had a following.

Once the celebrating died down, Aro locked his gaze on Fred. Gone was the authentic smile. His face resumed its plastic façade, the one we all knew and feared.

"Now on to the second matter of the evening. Fred, we have given you ample time to make your decision. I hope you have come to a conclusion on your own. I would hate to ruin this otherwise happy affair with… unpleasantries."

Fred stepped forward with Amanda at his side. They really were an adorable couple.

"Well, Aro, here's the problem… I'm not sure how to answer you," Fred admitted. "On one hand, I want to go back home with the Cullens. They're my family now and I was hoping to spend a lot more time with them. On the other, I know Amanda can't go, and there's no way I could ever leave her, maybe not even if she ordered me to." He kissed her hand as he held it tightly in his own.

"Then on the one hand, I don't really want to join the guard, or to be more precise, I don't think they want me to join them. On the other hand, I've heard it's not a very good idea to stay in Volterra without the security of being a guard member."

"How many hands do you have?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Fred answered as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Fresh," Emmett bent his wrist and raised his pinky finger, trying to look coy.

Amanda elbowed Fred in the ribs. "Would you please focus?" she chided.

"Sorry… OK, so, for the first part of the decision, as much as I want to go back to Forks, I know the only way I'll be happy is with Amanda. She's needed here, but more than that, she wants to stay here. So I guess that means I'm staying, too."

"May I remind you that your options, my boy, never included you leaving," Aro reiterated with irritation clear in his voice.

"Yes, I realize that," Fred answered evenly, "but I also know if I wanted to leave, nobody would be able to stop me."

Aro glowered and Caius, I think, swore under his breath.

"But none of that matters now since I've decided to stay," Fred continued. "And for the second part, I guess I'll join the guard, since Amanda is so insistent upon it."

Aro's demeanor went from hostile to delighted in the blink of an eye. I knew he coveted Fred and now he'd obtained his prize.

"However," Fred added, "I do have some of my own 'conditions.'"

"Of all the insolent…"Caius started, but appeared too dumbfounded to finish his thought out loud.

"Yeah, I know… annoying, isn't it? You think you have a deal and then someone goes and puts conditions on it…" Fred answered with a contemptuous tone. The thinly veiled insult did not go unnoticed.

"We make the rules here," Aro admonished him. "You'd best remember that. However, I am curious as to what conditions you think you can impose on us."

Fred took a deep, unnecessary breath. "My primary conditions are: I won't be used as a weapon, I choose when I use my gift and when I don't, and I will never fight against my family."

A collective gasp was heard around the room.

"That is not for you to choose," Caius roared. "Guard members do as they are told. End of story."

"With all due respect, Caius, I can't do it any other way. I've been used since I was born into this life, and it can't be that way anymore. It goes against everything I am. I'll admit, having this ability made me feel important at first, but the Cullens taught me that _I'm_ important - me, on my own, gift or no gift. I don't have to be a performing monkey for anybody."

"The _Cullens_ taught you that, did they…" Caius said sarcastically.

"Here's the deal - nobody here likes me. Except Amanda, of course… I guess it could be my rotten personality, but I think it's probably more about fear. I don't want everyone to hate me like they hate Jane," Fred pointed before turning his attention to her. "No offense or anything… Actually, what am I saying? I couldn't care less if you're offended! You're an evil little bitch and everyone knows it, including you!"

Jane huffed as most of the vampires around her tried not to snicker. What Fred said was true – she was hated because of what she could do... and how much she enjoyed doing it.

"I like to have fun," Fred went on. "Ask Emmett! We play video games and wrestle and make stupid bets and pull pranks. I got him to drink a pint of 2% on a dare. You think milk is bad going down, it's even worse coming up."

"Everything he said there is the God's honest truth," Emmett agreed. "Especially the milk part."

"They're absolute idiots," Rosalie added for good measure.

Amanda was nodding with a smirk on her face. She spoke to the other Volturi guard members. "If you knew Fred like I do… well, not exactly like I do…" If she could blush, she would be every shade of red known to man. "Ummmm… anyway, you'd see he's really smart and playful and sweet. Yes, he _can_ hurt you like Jane can, but the difference is, he doesn't _want_ to."

"I'm all about the love, man…" Fred said doing his best stoner-hippie impression as he held up two fingers in a peace sign. "I'm totally into Woodstock. Just ask Emmett."

"What did I tell you about Woodstock?" Emmett growled at him. "The greatest concert of all time is off limits! These guys might be afraid of you, but I'll beat you into next week!"

Even though nobody else understood the inside joke, there clearly was one, and once again, the two clowns had everyone sniggering.

"Do you even possess the ability to be serious?" Caius narrowed his eyes in anger at Fred.

"Well, I think so," Fred cocked his head as he pondered his response. "I'm seriously in love with Amanda, but I don't suppose that's what you're talking about here…"

"No, I don't suppose so," Caius answered, growing more annoyed by the minute.

"OK, well, I'm serious about my three conditions. I have to be more than a gun that you guys get to aim at people."

"You certainly didn't mind being a weapon against us," Caius retorted.

"That's not the same. I was defending myself, and yeah, I know I got a little… carried away. I'm not very good at controlling it, but I'm trying to get better."

Carlisle nodded fervently. "He's been a diligent student. I have to be honest, though… and Fred, I hope you don't mind if I tell this story… there was one time early on where Fred did attack us, but it turned out he was only trying to defend himself against a perceived threat. It was all just a big misunderstanding. He doesn't _want_ to attack anyone."

"I'll still use my gift if I need to," Fred clarified. "Anyone who even thinks about hurting Amanda, for example, will be flattened and probably dismembered. I guarantee it."

"But that is of little benefit to the Volturi," Aro argued.

"OK, let's say Volterra was under enemy attack. I'm not going to let us get invaded. What I'm saying is, I decide when I use my powers and when I don't. You can explain why you think I should or shouldn't, but in the end, it's my choice."

The entirety of the guard broke out into whispers. A few weren't so quiet. I heard a "Who does he think he is?" and "The Brothers will never stand for this." The tension in the room was palpable.

At that moment, I started wondering if I could use the 'I have to go to the bathroom' ploy again.

"Wait, everybody," Fred besought the rest of the guard. "I'm really not trying to challenge the authority of the Brothers here. And I want to be friends with you guys. I'm just saying I can't be the new Jane. All of you hate her, and so do I. We could form an 'I hate Jane' club, though I hope you already have one… Just the _thought_ of being anything like her is repulsive to me, and I'm supposed to be the one who repulses others! I want to be useful around here, but I'm not going to be used."

"We cannot and will not tolerate this!" Caius snapped. "Our guard does not dictate to us what they will and won't do. You will do as we say or you have no place here."

"I have to concur," Aro nodded. "Our reign over the vampire world is unquestionable. Like any other military-style command, the generals give the orders and the soldiers comply."

"Well, then I have no gift," Fred answered matter-of-factly. "How odd! I had it just a minute ago and now POOF! It's gone."

"How strange!" Amanda exclaimed. "My gift just suddenly stopped working, too. I don't know what you're going to do without me, but I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"My gift is gone, too!" Alice cried. "Gosh, I guess I won't be able to help you with your Romanian problem after all. Darn it."

"Oh heck," Jasper said almost with a grin. "Now my gift is gone. And here I was planning to help keep the peace in Poland. Now if things go bad, I won't be able to do anything about it. Well, that's downright disappointing."

"Amanda, you're a member of this guard. You will be faithful to your oath," Aro stormed.

"I'm sorry, Master! I can't help it if my gift suddenly left me!" Amanda playacted.

"We'll see about that," Aro sneered. "Felix, tear Felka's arm off. Let's see if Amanda's gift returns as suddenly as it left her."

Felix started toward Felka, but Idzi and Emmett were immediately in his path, followed closely by Jasper and Rosalie. Demetri and Drivey were behind Felix in the next instant. The growling was fierce. More Volturi moved to flank Felix.

"Jane!" Aro shouted, but before she could do anything, she was doubled over in pain.

"Stop this!" someone commanded from somewhere behind the thrones.

Miraculously, everyone did as the woman's voice had ordered. The Volturi guard members bowed their heads in submission. It was as if the voice had pushed some magic reset button.

It was all very confusing, until Aro answered quietly, "Sulpicia, my darling, why are you here? You should return to your chamber at once. It's much more comfortable there. I wouldn't want you upset by these proceedings."

Sulpicia stepped out from behind the center throne. "Aro, my love, I came to see for myself what this 'Fred' fellow could do, and I've heard enough to know something you won't admit to yourself. We have been deceived." Shock filled the room. I wasn't sure if it was due to what she'd said or the mere fact that she was there, but the entire guard appeared astonished.

Of course, Sulpicia was young looking and very beautiful, but she had the same papery skin as her husband. My brain started thinking of the two of them together… like 'together' together… and I may have thrown up a little in my mouth.

"Beloved," Aro cooed as he faced his wife, "whatever do you mean?"

She stepped forward and took Aro's hand. "What I mean, my dear husband, is that we have obviously been given false information about Fred. The Cullens lied to us."

Carlisle was immediately on the defensive. "I did not lie to you! I told you exactly what Fred was capable of doing and all of his shortcomings. I was completely transparent about everything!"

Sulpicia shook her head. "I wasn't referring to you, my dear old friend. I was referring to your son, Edward."

**-…-**

A/N (continued): Nope not done, and I'm SOOOOOOOOO close! I'm not TRYING to prolong the agony here, people. I underestimated how much story there was left. The characters just had too much to say (so blame them!) LOL

I'd like to thank all of you who left lovely reviews! They make me ridiculously happy. I had two new readers who reviewed almost every chapter (which I love), so maybe I'll get to 200 reviews yet!

Thanks so much, everyone. Now, back to Part III of "Trying to Finish the Story Sometime this Century."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"What?" I heard myself exclaim, joining the same sentiment echoed all over the room.

I looked deep into Edward's eyes, questioning, and saw something there… something I couldn't describe, but this was clearly not right.

"That was supposed to be our secret," Edward hissed at Aro and Sulpicia from beside me.

"The fact that you called us _was_ a secret," Aro snapped back. "But if what Sulpicia says is true, and you deceived us, then your secret is no longer safe with me."

"Edward, you called them?" I asked in utter and total disbelief.

"Yes, alright? I called them. Are you happy?" he barked at me.

I took a couple of steps back from him. "No! I'm not happy at all! Why would you call Aro and not tell anyone? You didn't even tell me?"

"You wouldn't have understood, Bella. You would have tried to stop me, even if you had to tell the family. I couldn't risk it," he shot back.

"What did you tell them?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing of interest to you."

"Edward, if it's about this family, it's of interest to all of us," Carlisle reminded him.

"You want to know what I told them? Fine! I told them you were hiding the truth about Fred," Edward spat at his father. "I told them what they wanted to hear - that Fred could stop an entire army with a thought, or he could pick ten people out of a crowd and put them down, leaving the rest untouched."

"But you know that's not true. Why would you say such a thing?" Carlisle implored.

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted Fred out of our lives. He was a danger to Bella and you still allowed him to join our family! She's my mate! What if he'd killed her? Did you ever think about that?" Edward screeched.

"Edward, son… You didn't have to do this. If you'd only talked to me…" Carlisle spoke soothingly.

"I DID talk to you. I talked to all of you. We even had a family meeting about it! You knew the risks, and you decided to let Fred stay anyway. You even adopted him into the family! I knew then I had to take matters into my own hands, even if it meant going behind your backs."

Sulpicia addressed Carlisle again. "Edward told us you had become attached to Fred, so you were trying to keep him in your coven. That you knew if you downplayed his abilities, the Volturi would be less interested in him. That he was actually very powerful and skilled, and would be the perfect complement to someone like Jane. Knowing you as we do, Carlisle, we believed Edward immediately. You've always had a soft spot for the lost ones among us…"

"I can't believe you would do this to me!" Fred yelled at Edward. "I never hurt Bella, not even a tiny bit. I cooked human food for her! You could read my thoughts. You knew I wouldn't hurt her."

"Yes, I _could_ read your thoughts. Let's just say they weren't all as innocent as you would have everyone believe. Or would you like me to provide a few examples?" Edward retorted.

Alice and Jasper were strangely quiet. How did they not know Edward had done this? I wanted to ask, but it would do no good to draw attention to them right now.

"You are not the person I thought you were, Edward Cullen," Fred seethed. "You are not my brother."

"Oh, no! What will I ever do?" Edward cried out sarcastically. "Are you saying we won't be besties after this? What a travesty…"

"I know I haven't always said the nicest things about you," Rosalie confessed, "but even I never thought you would stoop this low."

"It's amazing what you'll do to save the people you love," Edward said with a meaningful look at me.

"Well, Carlisle, I must ask your forgiveness. I thought you were lying to us, when all along it was Edward," Aro pursed his lips in displeasure. "And you also, young Fred. We thought you were holding back on us and pretending you couldn't control your gift. If we'd known you were honestly incapable of the things we were expecting of you, we would not have held you responsible for your inability to perform."

"I can't even look at you right now," Esme whispered to Edward as she crossed to Carlisle, who held her tightly to his chest.

"I couldn't understand why you expected so much from Fred when I was very clear about his strengths and weaknesses. Now it all makes sense," Carlisle told Aro by way of apology.

"And now that we've uncovered this treachery," Caius said menacingly, "what shall be done with the offender?"

Aro contemplated this for a few moments. "I will leave Carlisle to deal with his son in his own way. I'm sure the other Cullens will be happy to give their input as well."

"Yeah, you can bet on that," Emmett answered, punching his fist into his hand.

Aro smirked at Emmett, nodding slightly in approval before addressing Fred. "Young man, my Brothers and I were planning to accept your membership to the guard before we understood your limitations. However, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we would still entertain your admission, but we must ask you a few questions. Will you take an oath vowing your loyalty to the Volturi?"

"Yes, I will, but please understand I can't attack my family," Fred answered solemnly.

"I cannot imagine a circumstance where we would take that kind of action against our good friends. The Cullens have always been law-abiding citizens of the vampire world," Aro nodded.

"So, is that a yes?" Fred asked meekly.

"Yes, I think we can agree to that," Aro answered with a faux smile. "And will you continue to work diligently to improve your gift?"

"Yes, most definitely, as long as I know you won't make me do something I don't want to do."

"I think we can agree not to force you to use your gift against your will…" Aro said before Caius tried to interrupt.

Aro put his hand up to silence his Brother. "With the understanding that we hope you integrate into our society to the point where your will and ours are one in the same."

"OK, that sounds like a good starting point…" Fred mused.

"And finally, do you pledge to honor your elders and fellow guard members?"

"Not Jane, right?" Fred bristled. "Or her creepy brother…"

"You must treat everyone with civility and decorum, however you are not expected to appreciate everyone on a personal level," Aro answered with a bit of mirth in his eyes.

"So that means no, I don't have to like Jane and Alec?"

"No, you don't have to like Jane and Alec, just as they don't have to like you," Aro spoke as if to a child. "In fact, I think it would behoove us to keep you separated."

"Yeah, you should put her on a leash," Fred murmured.

Jane stomped her foot and threw a miniature tizzy fit, which everyone ignored. I had a feeling that little comment wouldn't go unanswered for long, however.

"Have I addressed all your concerns?" Aro asked.

"Yeah, I think so… but what if I have a go-back?"

"There will be plenty of time for that," Aro chuckled.

Fred looked to Amanda, then to Carlisle and Esme, and finally to his best buddy, Emmett. With no objections, he answered, "OK, you've got a deal."

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. My immediate inclination was to hug Edward, but I stopped myself. I was just too shocked at his behavior. I'd always said he got carried away with his obsessive need to protect me, but this was completely over-the-top, even for him. He was out of control. So we just stood there, avoiding each other's gaze and feeling generally uncomfortable.

Once the round-robin of hugs was complete, minus Edward, the pound of a gavel returned our attention to the front of the room.

"Unless there is further business, you are all dismissed" Aro announced.

**-…-**

The walk back to our suites was excruciating. I stayed by Edward, but didn't hold his hand. I didn't want to touch him and I certainly wasn't ready for him to touch me. He was, for all intents and purposes, a traitor to our family. I didn't know how he could have done such a thing.

Idzi and Heidi took Fred and Amanda's vacant chairs, and soon we were all sequestered in Esme and Carlisle's suite. Edward stood behind the loveseat where I sat. He picked at threads in the fabric, not looking up because I'm sure he knew all eyes were on him.

"Edward, son, what do you have to say for yourself?" Carlisle began.

"What I have to say is, there was no phone call."

Carlisle sat forward abruptly. "What do you mean? Aro told us…"

"Aro told you what Sulpicia was telling him to say."

Carlisle was clearly bewildered, as were we all. "OK, you're going to have to start over. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Edward took a deep, unneeded breath. "Well, a certain little soothsayer in our family saw that Fred was going to back the Volturi into a corner with his demands. There was no way they could accept him into the guard and still save face after that, so Alice went to Sulpicia to tell her how to fix the situation."

"Alice? You were in on it?" Esme asked.

"Better question," Alice grinned. "When am I NOT in on it?"

"Good point," Esme laughed.

"Why didn't you just tell Fred to shut up about his demands?" Jasper asked his wife.

"Because we needed him to make them," Alice answered matter-of-factly. "One of our biggest concerns all along has been the Volturi getting their hands on someone as powerful as Fred. Now they've agreed not to force him into attacking anyone, and especially not us."

"Ahhhhh…. Clever girl," Jasper said with admiration. "You know, I kept wondering why Aro would go along with that. He was right when he said the generals make the rules and the soldiers follow them."

"Because he wanted Fred in his guard. Aro would have agreed to stand on his head for a year if he could have done it in private, but accepting Fred's 'demands' in front of all his subordinates would have made him appear weak. However, if he was lied to…"

"So, Edward really didn't call Aro? For real. I don't get to beat the crap out of him?" Emmett exclaimed.

"No, I didn't call. So sorry to disappoint you," Edward grinned.

I reached for Edward's hand and pulled him to sit next to me. Luckily, he was more than willing to move.

"I'm sorry I couldn't prepare you for what happened in there. I didn't know myself until Sulpicia and Alice started giving me directions in my head."

"That's OK. I knew what you were saying wasn't true…" I murmured.

"Bella, really?" Jasper raised an eyebrow in challenge. "You were 100% confident the whole time…"

"Well, I guess I did allow for the slight possibility that Edward was a crazed lunatic who betrayed his family because of some stupid perceived threat that really didn't exist… but mostly I thought something else was going on…"

"I love honesty," Jasper chuckled.

"So Sulpicia was silently telling both you and Aro what to say… that's pretty impressive," Heidi added. "I was so shocked to see her. She never gets involved in matters of the court."

"Wellllll….," Alice drew out the word, "I may have told her a very small, very white lie."

"How small and how white?" Carlisle asked.

"Microscopic and pure as driven snow, I swear! Like….. I _may_ have let her think a huge fight was going to break out in the Great Hall, and I _might_ have led her to believe if she didn't stop it, Aro was going to maybe-possibly get killed."

"And how exactly did you lead her to believe that?" Carlisle narrowed his eyes at Alice.

"Ummm… I told her Aro would be killed in the brawl if she didn't stop it," Alice admitted rather sheepishly.

"It's a wonder she figured out what you were trying to say, since you were so vague," Rose snarked.

"I didn't think she liked Aro enough to care," Carlisle interjected.

"I don't think she does, but she's not stupid. He's essentially made her the Queen of the Volturi," Heidi explained. "If something happened to Aro, she would just be another vampire. I doubt Aro will try to read any of us before we leave, but do everyone a favor and don't tell Fred or Amanda that you lied to Sulpicia. Aro will read them regularly and if he knew, heads would roll… and I don't mean figuratively."

"Speaking of which, Fred just decided to confront Edward. He and Amanda will be here in a few minutes," Alice informed us.

"Come on, Emmett. Let's tell them what happened before Fred does damage to our dear brother," Rosalie sighed.

"Oh, man! No fair! I wanted to see what Fred was gonna do!" Emmett whined.

"Oh, thanks," Edward sneered. "I throw myself to the lions to save Fred from himself and you want him to pulverize me for my efforts?"

"Well, now that you put it that way… ummm…. of course not…" Emmett dodged.

"I can still read your mind, Em… Please try to remember I'm completely innocent, will you?"

"Oh, fine! Ruin all my fun!" Emmett grumbled as he and Rose left to intercept Fred and Amanda.

"If you don't mind," Felka interrupted, "I'd like to call Bohdan to tell him I'm coming home!"

"Yes, and tell him your brother wants to meet him," Idzi called after her. "And he'd better be good to you or he's going to be lunch," he mumbled under his breath. It's probably a good thing she didn't hear that part.

"So, Heidi, I think a few people lost a bet today," Carlisle teased.

"Yes, I know…," she smiled back at him.

"What bet?" Idzi asked.

"Whether or not she would find a mate before she turned 500."

"Carlisle, you're not supposed to tell a woman's age. I was planning to tell Idzi I was only 399!"

Idzi beamed at her. "Baby, you don't look a day over 299."

We all laughed as Idzi gave Heidi a sweet kiss.

Just then, the door flew open and in rushed a furious looking Fred with Amanda close on his heels.

He marched up to Edward, who stood to face him. Fred poked Edward in the chest and yelled, "Thank you!"

It took all of us a few seconds to register what was going on. Emmett and Rosalie came bursting through the open door laughing at all our astonished faces before it finally dawned on all of us what just happened.

Fred pulled Edward into a huge bear hug. "See? You're not the only actor in the family!"

Fred took a half step back and rested his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Hey, what I really wanted to say is, I'm sorry. I should have known you wouldn't call Aro. You might have done some other things to get rid of me, but not that."

"True…" Edward laughed.

"And I'm sorry I disowned you. Can I reown you again?"

"Sure, brother," Edward chuckled as they shook hands.

Soon Amanda moved in to hug Edward tightly. "Thank you… For finding Fred and bringing him here to me."

"I'm glad he found you," Edward whispered. "And I hope you can keep him in line. He needs all the help he can get."

The two of them laughed, but really, it was true.

Fred turned to face Carlisle. "OK, dad. I have a problem."

"Only one?" Carlisle asked with a raised brow.

Fred laughed. "Touché. OK, one of my _many problems_ is this – when I officially joined the family, you said being a Cullen meant not drinking human blood, but since I'm staying, would it be OK with you if I… you know, used the program here? I wouldn't be killing or even hurting anyone. You wouldn't kick me out of the family, would you?"

Carlisle looked very upset. "I'm sorry, Fred, but that would be unacceptable. Cullens do not drink from humans. Period. You would most definitely be out of the family."

Fred eyed his adoptive father for a moment, trying to determine if he was serious or not. Then Carlisle broke into a wide smile. "Of course you would still be one of us! We don't kill or injure humans, but if you can drink human blood without hurting anyone, you go right ahead."

"That means a lot to me. The family part, I mean, although the blood part is pretty awesome, too. I was willing to do the tofu diet, but I'm not very good at being a vegetarian."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'd do the same thing if I was staying," Jasper confided.

"I was actually wondering if I could have a snack for the road," Emmett added.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes at him. "Don't even think about it. The last time you got a taste of human blood, I had to keep you locked up for a year."

"That was a good year…" Emmett recalled dreamily.

"Yeah, well, if you do it again, it won't be such a good year this time. I promise," Rose threatened.

"Oooohhhh… someone's wife has someone by the short hairs," Fred guffawed.

"Fred!" Amanda snapped. "You need to say your goodbyes. You have an oath ceremony in less than an hour. Get to it!"

Amanda winked at Rosalie as Emmett punched Fred in the arm. "And she's not even your wife," Emmett snickered.

And with that, we said our goodbyes to those who were staying. Heidi had to attend the ceremony, which I found out took a full day to complete. Aro loved his pomp and circumstance. I wondered how much of that was taking vows and how much was just fluff, but I would never know. The rites and rituals were top secret. Even Carlisle wouldn't speak of them.

"So, Fred, do you think you can come home for our wedding?" I asked.

"I'll see. It can't hurt to ask, right? I mean, I can't get into any more trouble than I already have."

"Don't push your luck, mister," Amanda said as an aside to Fred. "We would love to come! Aro was planning to send an emissary from the Volturi anyway, so why not us?"

"Don't you have to stay here?" I questioned, concerned for the welfare of the humans in Volterra.

"I can be gone for a few days, as long as everyone is well-fed first, especially the newborns." Amanda shuddered. I decided it was better not to know why.

I waved goodbye to Idzi and was surprised when Heidi came over to give me a hug. "You may not believe this, but I admire you, Bella. I think you must be the bravest human on the planet."

"I don't know about that…" I answered, embarrassed and blushing. "I just do what I have to do for my family... and friends."

Felka had just come back in, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

"I'm sorry, will you excuse me?" I said to Heidi.

"What's wrong?" I asked Felka.

She started crying again. "Nothing… Bohdan was so excited, I thought he was going to come through the phone line. I always thought he would give up on me… on us… but he never did."

"He obviously knows a good thing when he sees it," I tried to comfort her.

"It's just… when I saw you with Edward, I thought I would never have that again… and now..."

We hugged as she finally allowed herself to let it all sink in. "And now, you're free."

"That would have never happened if it hadn't been for you," she sobbed.

"Well, I certainly didn't do it all on my own… the whole family took up your cause. And since 'Felka' means 'lucky,' maybe there was a bit of that mixed in there, too."

She sniffed and nodded, giving me a weak smile before moving around the room to thank everyone for helping her get her life back.

I hadn't noticed Edward was missing until he came in carrying our suitcases. "Sorry, I couldn't wait. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Carlisle and Rosalie left to pack their respective bags. Alice and Jasper wouldn't be leaving until the next day, and until then, they were on Idzi-sitting duty.

I hugged both of them. "I'm going to miss you! Come home as soon as you can, OK? And Alice, are you SURE there's nothing I need to do for the wedding? I'm nervous that you're not going to be there. What if something goes wrong?"

Jasper sent a calming wave and I just glared at him.

"Hey, I don't like wedding jitters, OK?" he laughed.

"The only thing you need to do is make sure nobody sees you in your dress. I can block Edward pretty well, but Esme is hopeless!" Alice complained.

"Should I try it on?"

Alice pondered this. "Nope. It fits you perfectly, so no need. And don't worry… you love it."

"OK, if you say so…" We hugged one more time before bidding a final farewell to Felka, Idzi, and Heidi.

"We'll keep in touch, right?" Felka asked hopefully.

"Of course we will! I have to know how things work out. And don't forget to send me some pierogies. I'll be drooling by the mailbox every day."

"Consider it done," she laughed as we embraced for the last time.

We were ready to go, so we escorted Fred and Amanda down to the foyer of the hall, the place where we would go our separate ways.

"Can we just pretend I'm going off to college?" Fred half-heartedly joked. "It seems a little less like we're saying goodbye…"

"It's not goodbye, son," Esme sniffed. "It will never be goodbye."

Fred nodded in agreement. He reached out to softly stroke Esme's cheek. "I love you, mom."

"I love you, too," she answered as she pulled him into a tight embrace. "You behave yourself, OK? I don't want to get any bad reports from your professors, college boy." They laughed, even though I could tell Esme's tender heart was breaking.

Carlisle was next. "This has been a wild ride, but it looks like you're going to be OK. Who would have thought you'd end up in the Volturi guard after everything that's happened? But I want you to know, I think Bree would be proud of you. And she probably wouldn't mind if you played a 'harmless prank' on Jane once in a while."

"I'll see if I can keep them harmless," Fred snickered, but then he became serious, perhaps more so than I'd ever seen him. "I need to tell you something, and it's hard for me because I'm not much for sentiment… as I'm sure you've noticed… I haven't known you very long, but in that time you've taught me more about the kind of man I want to be than everyone else who's ever been in my life… combined. And your relationship with Esme inspires me to be the same kind of husband to Amanda."

"Wait. Husband? Are you getting married?" I butted in.

"I haven't asked her yet, but soon."

Hearing these words, Amanda looked up and smiled beatifically.

"Wow….." was all Fred could utter. I had to agree.

Carlisle looked a little choked up. "Thank you, Fred. That means more to me than you will probably ever know."

Fred moved on to Edward and me. "Guys, I don't know what to say to you. Edward, if you hadn't kept your promise to Bree, I don't even know where I'd be today. Maybe dead, if the Volturi had caught up to me. I'd tell you I owe you my life, but your ego is already big enough, so let's just leave it at 'thanks.'"

"My ego? Who made all those demands to the Volturi? My ego, he says…"

"And Bella, the Little Human That Could. Since I'm being a sentimental idiot already, I might as well go for the gold. Of all the things you've done for me, do you want to know what meant the most? I mean, something you did that changed my life?"

"OK, I'm nervous now, but go ahead," I proffered.

"You cried for me. After I threatened you and Edward tore off my arm and beat me with it, which was very wrong of you, might I add," he mock scolded Edward, "you were so worried about me that you cried. I don't remember anyone crying for me before, and it made me really look at humans differently. I mean, I know I was one, but after the change, they just became walking bags of blood. You reminded me that humans are more than that."

"Awww, Fred. You're going to make me cry again!"

"Come here, you," he gently tucked me under his arm and gave me the slightest squeeze.

When Fred got to Emmett, he said in a soft girly voice, "I think I'll miss you most of all."

"And Toto, too?" Emmett snickered as they shared a man-hug. "You know, we can still play games over the web."

"Yeah, and we'll have webcams!"

"It'll practically be like having you… at home…" Emmett's sad voice trailed off.

"I'll miss you, too," Fred assured him. "And take good care of the Wicked Witch of the West, here." He pulled a fake punch to Rosalie's arm.

"Watch it, buster, or I'll send my flying monkeys after you," she shook her finger at him, but then pulled him in for a tight embrace. Rose wasn't usually that demonstrative, but I could tell she had a soft spot for her newest brother.

Aro greeted us in the corridor. "Ah, my dear friends, departing so soon?"

Carlisle's fake smile matched Aro's. "Yes, well… Edward and Bella's wedding isn't going to plan itself."

Even though it almost did with Alice at the helm.

"Yes, my best wishes to the happy couple. It was such a pleasure to see all of you again! Let's not wait so long before our next reunion."

"Of course not," Carlisle answered diplomatically. "It really had been much too long."

I'm not sure how he said that with a straight face… perhaps he was the best actor of us all.

"Come, my boy," Aro said to Fred. "Your ceremony is about to begin."

Aro extended his hand. Fred looked at him warily, then glanced around at all of us. Carlisle nodded, knowing this moment had to come sometime.

Fred slowly stepped toward Aro, hesitantly reaching out to grip Aro's hand as the two of them entered the Great Hall together.

"THAT VULTURE GUY?" we heard Aro exclaim just before the doors closed to us for the final time… or at least I hoped it would be.

THE END (for real this time…)

**-…-**

A/N: OK, that's a wrap. I've been asked to write a wedding/honeymoon companion piece, so I just might do it. Edward and Bella really need to break some of that tension!

I want to thank all of you who read and reviewed, or just read, for that matter. It's been quite a journey. As I've told a few of you, this story was originally going to be roughly five chapters long and was never going to leave Vancouver, BC. Edward was going to find Fred, tell him what happened to Bree, warn him about the Volturi, then Jane and company were going to find them, having traced Fred's scent from the spot where he split from the newborn army, a skirmish would have happened, and then Fred was going to escape, knowing how to avoid the Volturi, and live as a nomad. The end. (really… I'm not kidding)

A new reader, Abbyweyr, went through and caught my typos, so I guess instead of being a beta, that makes her an omega. I HATE typos, so I absolutely have to go back through and make the corrections. Thankfully, she said there weren't that many. Whew! Thanks, AW!

PRETTY PLEASE leave me a review, whether you've reviewed before or not. They really make me stupid-happy.

If this note gets any longer, I'm going to have to break it up into another chapter!

Willowby


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